Want to talk weight loss?

[Matryoshka]

11 minutes ago, SereneHome said:

26 minutes!!!!  O m g! 🙂

Interestingly enough I think some of the moves are Pilates moves and some yoga ones.

Do you use balls? I don't want to buy any new stuff

LOL, it's interesting how different perspective is based on what you're used to.  I usually work out for an hour at a time now, so 26 minutes seems so short!  I looked at the very beginning only, but what I saw did look very Pilates-like!

[mom31257]

I would like to lose weight and joined a DietBet that started yesterday. I lost 25 pounds 6 years ago and kept if off a long time. About 2 years ago, I let myself start eating more sugar and more carbs. I had gained a good bit of it back, and the quarantine finished it off. So I'm right back where I started. 

I'm going to try what I did before, but I am in menopause now. I kept all my meals at 20-25 carbs or less, and I would eat one snack a day with 15 or less, so under 90 carbs each day, and I avoided sugar, bread, potatoes, etc. I have been snacking A LOT lately, so I've got to get that under control. 

 

 

[SereneHome]

1 hour ago, Matryoshka said:

LOL, it's interesting how different perspective is based on what you're used to.  I usually work out for an hour at a time now, so 26 minutes seems so short!  I looked at the very beginning only, but what I saw did look very Pilates-like!

yeah, going from zero to 26 min sounds like a lot!!!!! lol. I will probably pass out at about 10 minutes

[Matryoshka]

1 minute ago, SereneHome said:

yeah, going from zero to 26 min sounds like a lot!!!!! lol. I will probably pass out at about 10 minutes

When I first went back to exercising, I would be winded almost immediately.  Other people got worried about me!  Build up slowly and steadily, it works!  

[PrincessMommy]

3 hours ago, mom31257 said:

I would like to lose weight and joined a DietBet that started yesterday. I lost 25 pounds 6 years ago and kept if off a long time. About 2 years ago, I let myself start eating more sugar and more carbs. I had gained a good bit of it back, and the quarantine finished it off. So I'm right back where I started. 

I'm going to try what I did before, but I am in menopause now. I kept all my meals at 20-25 carbs or less, and I would eat one snack a day with 15 or less, so under 90 carbs each day, and I avoided sugar, bread, potatoes, etc. I have been snacking A LOT lately, so I've got to get that under control. 

 

 

Could you talk about DietBet a little.  I've heard about this before and am interested.  I went to the website but the info was very fundamental.  Do you get to pick your own diet method - or are there separate pools based on diets?  How do you prove you've lost the weight?   Is there minimum weight loss challenge?

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by PrincessMommy

[IfIOnly]

Did well on carbs today. About 20 g per meal, 69 total. Short on protein, and feel it.  Plenty of fat...black bean tacos with fried corn tortillas, BLT and mayo sandwich, nuts. A little much. Just met 1200 calories today. Not hungry. In fact, full. No exercise. Just my usual sedentary self today. 👎

[EmilyGF]

On 5/11/2020 at 10:03 AM, soror said:

I wish you all the best of luck with your weight loss goals. I have something for anyone interested in trying something different for weight loss, https://www.precisionnutrition.com/nutrition-calculator. This calculator takes into account your size, gender, age, activity level, goals, preferred diet, and macro ratios and gives you a simple plan to follow. It encourages focusing on more nutrient dense food but nothing is off limits. You approximate serving sizes based on finger, palm, and fist sizes- no specific measuring or calorie counting. I used this winter to drop a few pounds put on from fall busyness and it came off easily without feeling deprived. Following the macro rec's helped my energy stay up w/ great performance while exercising  and cravings at bay. Way back before kids I put on 30+ pounds from Depo and I used calorie counting, portion control, and whole foods to drop that weight slow and steadily, then after each pregnancy I had weight to loss, with the first I went back to calorie counting and such w/ the last  3 I was on a lower carb diet and took it off that way. I followed a Paleo diet for over a decade and went to a very strict auto-immune diet after being diagnosed with thyroid disease after my last baby. I felt better at first on the auto-immune paleo but it didn't work long term. It was too low carb and the carbs allowed didn't work the best for me. I finally decided to just give up Paleo and move whole foods. I used the macro counting this winter for help with a few pounds put on in the fall and staying in my maintenance zone. Generally, those few pounds are difficult to get rid of but it was much easier following the macro plan. I'm on it again right now as I inched up in my maintenance zone after hormonal wackyness this spring(gotta love perimenopausal hormonal roller coaster). 

 

Wow, that's really interesting, especially since the negative of WW for me is that I tend to use my points on less nutrient dense foods. I do eat a lot of veggies and fruits, so I feel pretty good, but I think I avoid fats, especially healthy ones! I used the calculator and was floored by how much fat it recommended! I'd like to try this at some point, but right now my focus needs to be on tracking and measuring, I think.

[Soror]

12 minutes ago, EmilyGF said:

Wow, that's really interesting, especially since the negative of WW for me is that I tend to use my points on less nutrient dense foods. I do eat a lot of veggies and fruits, so I feel pretty good, but I think I avoid fats, especially healthy ones! I used the calculator and was floored by how much fat it recommended! I'd like to try this at some point, but right now my focus needs to be on tracking and measuring, I think.

Do whatever works for you, there are many paths. I had done specific diets for health for over a decade and counted calories before, I had no desire to go back to that and my thought is to do the easiest thing that works and it did for me. I am quite done with anything that says you can never eat this or that or whips out entire food groups. I really like PN's wordage, some foods are more nutrient dense and we strive to eat more of those. I ate a lot of fats when on Paleo but not near as much now, I found their rec's work well for me and I love dark choc for fats 🙂  but try to keep that to 1 serving of fat a day 🙂

[Soror]

3 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said:

Whereas I found their fats for paleo quite low, even on the low carb iteration.  But my Wahls Paleo Plus is really a ketogenic or near ketogenic paleo iteration, so my fat is up near 65-70% of calories most days and the program did NOT like me trying to put those macros in 😬

Ya, I ate a lot more fat on Paleo. I ate keto levels of carb for a long time on Paleo too, it is a totally different diet than their default diet. There calculator does seem to get wonky at times with tweaking the ratios, which is too bad b/c it is a nifty calculator otherwise.

Edited May 13, 2020 by soror

[mom31257]

14 hours ago, PrincessMommy said:

Could you talk about DietBet a little.  I've heard about this before and am interested.  I went to the website but the info was very fundamental.  Do you get to pick your own diet method - or are there separate pools based on diets?  How do you prove you've lost the weight?   Is there minimum weight loss challenge?

 

This is my first time doing it, so I have limited information. Our youth pastor at church started it and invited people. You pay $35 and those who meet the goal split the pot, less their fee(10-25%, more people=less percent). 

Our goal is 4% of your weight in 4 weeks. I loaded the app and had to submit an official weigh in. I needed two photos, one a full body picture standing on a scale, the other my feet on the scale with the weight visible and a code word written on a piece of paper by the scale. You can diet with any method that works for you. 

I think it's going to motivate me. It's definitely in the back of my mind as I've been going about my day and choices the last couple of days. I've already lost two pounds, which is encouraging. But I know you always lose water weight at the beginning of trying to diet, so I'm trying to be realistic, too. 

[Jaybee]

Every single time I see the topic of this thread scroll by, "Want to talk weight loss?" my immediate thought is, "No." I have stopped myself numerous times from typing a simple "no" in the text box and posting it.

Or "Nah, not particularly," or some such response, sometimes snarky, sometimes with utmost sincerity. 

But yes, I need to do a lot more than just talk about it...Maybe you ladies will get me re-motivated. Sigh.

[Hilltopmom]

I’ve been doing keto since Jan and lost 35 pounds- it has been mostly painless. Want to drop about 15 more to get into “normal weight” range but the scale is stuck right now. I’ve been going over my carbs and calories lately so not surprising. I need all new clothes but at least we are just staying home.

will transition from keto to low carb next for maintenance 

[lmrich]

Joining in... I gained 10 pounds this year. Three years ago I lost 30 so not all the way back to the start. 

But.. since quarantine I have average 12,000 steps a day, started running even, done an abs work out 5 days a week, lifted weights 3 - 4 times a week and lost NOTHING. 

Started keto two weeks ago - lost 7 pounds, but with my many food allergies I can't stay on keto too long as I have too many food allergies, and it is just not healthy for me in the long run. (I like to do it to eliminate cravings and make me stop snacking). I also started 16- 8 fasting. 

I will keep the fasting going and try to maintain a 600 calorie deficit to lose weight at a healthier rate. I would really like to lose 13 more - so 20 from the original. 

Losing weight is so hard...Eating too much is too easy!

[PinkTulip]

I’ll join. My goal was to lose 20 pounds in 2020. I was doing relatively well until all of this hit, and am now back where I started. (I’m a big-time stress eater). 

I recently joined Noom for a free two-week trial. I’m still evaluating - not sure if it will be worth the $$$ to stay with it. Today I feel like I will probably cancel - I can track calories and have accountability through MyFitnessPal or other ways for free. 

[IfIOnly]

2 mile walk today while 11 and 7 year olds ride bikes beside me. 👍 

Have 300 calories to go to get to my minimum. Not hungry. Should be fine today!

I need to get back on my adrenal health eating plan again: 3 meals and 2 snacks (especially for the afternoon cortisol dip) a day. Breakfast ideally within a half hour of waking and an hour later max. Not overeating in the evening and stop eating 3 hours before bed. I feel really good on that. More sustained energy. I've been doing IF here and there, and IF def raises cortisol levels (lots of info about this out there) because I CAN NOT SLEEP WELL AT NIGHT. I do have major adrenal issues. IF even until noon is NOT going to work for me. Even though I love it and much prefer it to breakfast and snacks. Ugh.

Edited May 14, 2020 by IfIOnly

[IfIOnly]

11 hours ago, lmrich said:

Joining in... I gained 10 pounds this year. Three years ago I lost 30 so not all the way back to the start. 

But.. since quarantine I have average 12,000 steps a day, started running even, done an abs work out 5 days a week, lifted weights 3 - 4 times a week and lost NOTHING. 

Started keto two weeks ago - lost 7 pounds, but with my many food allergies I can't stay on keto too long as I have too many food allergies, and it is just not healthy for me in the long run. (I like to do it to eliminate cravings and make me stop snacking). I also started 16- 8 fasting. 

I will keep the fasting going and try to maintain a 600 calorie deficit to lose weight at a healthier rate. I would really like to lose 13 more - so 20 from the original. 

Losing weight is so hard...Eating too much is too easy!

Awesome!! Thank you for sharing! I can't do keto either. It was too hard for my adrenals and I have food allergies to eggs and dairy. Sooo tough to sustain and ridiculously boring without those,  probably mostly without eggs. 🥱😭

[Soror]

7 hours ago, IfIOnly said:

2 mile walk today while 11 and 7 year olds ride bikes beside me. 👍 

Have 300 calories to go to get to my minimum. Not hungry. Should be fine today!

I need to get back on my adrenal health eating plan again: 3 meals and 2 snacks (especially for the afternoon cortisol dip) a day. Breakfast ideally within a half hour of waking and an hour later max. Not overeating in the evening and stop eating 3 hours before bed. I feel really good on that. More sustained energy. I've been doing IF here and there, and IF def raises cortisol levels (lots of info about this out there) because I CAN NOT SLEEP WELL AT NIGHT. I do have major adrenal issues. IF even until noon is NOT going to work for me. Even though I love it and much prefer it to breakfast and snacks. Ugh.

Good for you! Do what works for you! Keto and IF are big right now but looking at the weight loss registry you see that there are more important things and nothing works long term if you can't stick to it to some degree. I don't do IF anymore either(well I generally have 13 hrs of fasting due to teaching in the am but that is it) due to thyroid disease and sluggish adrenals. If I'm in any deficit it whacks a bit with my sleep anyway. Moderate carb versus low carb is much better for me too. Sleep is too important, don't do anything that jacks with that. 

[PrincessMommy]

Thanks for this kickstarter thread.  I've been researching and trying to figure things out.  I find that I am hungry all.the.time.   So with that in mind I'm going to start with Keto for about 2-4 weeks.  I don't think it's sustainable long-term, so I will move to SB diet after that.  It has a lot more wiggle room for long-term weight management.    The hunger issues are always a problem for me.   I tried WW several years ago and it was not a good fit for me.    I've done Atkins in the past and Keto is pretty similar but they encourage more whole foods.  I can't tolerate the fake sugars.  I have to scrutinize anything pre-made.  

I may join DietBets to help me stay focused and have a team reminding me to stay on track.  Right now it is so much harder to stay focused on anything.  So I'm utilizing any method I can find to help me not lose momentum.   Plus, I do have a little competitive streak and playing this "game" might be enough to keep me going.

[IfIOnly]

Tomorrow is my 1 week weigh in. I'm not expecting much, if anything, but that's okay. I can to the realization that this is going to take time. I'm not going to lose quickly because I'm going to be gentle on myself and avoid anything too extreme and also have realistic weight loss expectations. If I lose 4 pounds a month, that's 9-10 months, almost a year, to lose the 35-40 pounds I'd like to. I'm accepting that this will be a process. 

I'd like to figure out some ways to keep motivated before I get in a funk. A starting and monthly progress pics could help. A running list of benefits and improvements I'm experiencing might help. What do you all do to keep motivated?

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, IfIOnly said:

Tomorrow is my 1 week weigh in. I'm not expecting much, if anything, but that's okay. I can to the realization that this is going to take time. I'm not going to lose quickly because I'm going to be gentle on myself and avoid anything too extreme and also have realistic weight loss expectations. If I lose 4 pounds a month, that's 9-10 months, almost a year, to lose the 35-40 pounds I'd like to. I'm accepting that this will be a process. 

I'd like to figure out some ways to keep motivated before I get in a funk. A starting and monthly progress pics could help. A running list of benefits and improvements I'm experiencing might help. What do you all do to keep motivated?

Things I did when trying to lose weight:

Weighed every day, but only paid attention to the weekly average (Fitbit does the averaging for me)

If I ate something that didn't fit with what I wanted to be eating, tried to take a deep breath, not readjust the rest of the day's eating to 'compensate', just went back to normal healthy eating

Take measurements at the beginning - waist, hips, thighs.  These gave extra motivation because sometimes the measurements were moving when the weight wasn't for some reason

Exercised moderately, but not so extremely that I got overly hungry

Enlisted the help of those around us - no one was monitoring me, but I asked them to stop offering me things I didn't want to eat

[IfIOnly]

Weekly check-in anyone?

4 days with exercise this week. That's a huge improvement. I'm thinking I'd like to have a goal of 5 days of exercise each week. I walked 2 miles 3 days and did an 18 minute Youtube postpartum workout another. Nevermind that I'm 7.5 years postpartum. Haha! It was challenging for me and got feel good endorphins going, but not too much that I was a wreck the next day. 

6 days of not overeating. Most days have been close to 1200 calorie intake. I blew it one day this week and went well above my 1500 calorie limit to 2000. Yikes. Honestly, I ate that one day like I have been for some time now, actually I probably ate less than I had been. It was eye opening to realize that. I figured out that I tend to overeat if I don't eat an afternoon snack around 2-3:00 to help get me through the 3-4 afternoon cortisol dip. Late afternoon is my weakest part of the day when I can give into binging to get my blood sugars up. Eating well balanced meals helps keep my blood sugar/cortisol steady and keeps me full (vs carby  meals and snacks) and helps prevents overeating too. It's work planning ahead and planning out meals and snacks, but it's worth it. I feel so much better and eat better when I do.

I lost two pounds! We'll maybe it's water weight or whatever and not actual fat 🤷‍♀️, but the scale didn't go up and is moving in the right direction. That's encouraging.  

 

Edit: if anyone is interested, this series of articles is excellent for understanding the adrenal/low blood sugar/weight gain link.

https://adrenalfatigue.org/eating-right-for-your-adrenal-glands/

https://adrenalfatigue.org/eating-right-for-your-adrenal-glands-part-2-timing-your-meals-and-snacks/

https://adrenalfatigue.org/eating-right-for-your-adrenal-glands-part-3-what-you-eat/

https://adrenalfatigue.org/eating-right-for-your-adrenal-glands-part-4-salt-aldosterone-and-adrenal-fatigue/

Edited May 15, 2020 by IfIOnly

[OH_Homeschooler]

On 5/10/2020 at 10:36 AM, myblessings4 said:

Four years ago, at 49, I went low carb and started walking/jogging/light weights, etc, due to blood sugar issues.  I lost forty pounds in six months and kept it off until I dropped the exercise about a year and a half ago.  I gained ten pounds back.  I need to lose that ten again and have resumed exercise.  I still eat low carb, just to keep the blood sugar down.  But I need some food inspiration and since I did love weight watchers, was wondering if it's possible to use it low carb.  I'm talking no more than 20 carbs per meal or snack.  

 

I joined WW in March and I just quit (again). I joined because I needed the accountability of the in-person meetings. They've gone to virtual meetings, which is nice, but seriously not the same for me. Obviously you can do it without meetings at all, just do the online component if that works for you.

I would say that the latest WW Program actually is low-carb for the most part, although they won't come out and say that. If you eat anything high-carb it will use up a large portion of your points, much more than in previous versions of the program. That being said, there are now 3 different options you can choose from. You get a different number of Points per day depending on which plan. Some will give you more points per day but fewer 0 point options, versus fewer points per day but more 0 point foods. You take a little quiz at the beginning to suggest which plan will be best for you, but you can always change it. It seems like going on the one with the fewest points/most 0 point foods would be the most likely one for someone who wants to stay low-carb. 

 

[EmilyGF]

32 minutes ago, OH_Homeschooler said:

 

I joined WW in March and I just quit (again). I joined because I needed the accountability of the in-person meetings. They've gone to virtual meetings, which is nice, but seriously not the same for me. Obviously you can do it without meetings at all, just do the online component if that works for you.

I would say that the latest WW Program actually is low-carb for the most part, although they won't come out and say that. If you eat anything high-carb it will use up a large portion of your points, much more than in previous versions of the program. That being said, there are now 3 different options you can choose from. You get a different number of Points per day depending on which plan. Some will give you more points per day but fewer 0 point options, versus fewer points per day but more 0 point foods. You take a little quiz at the beginning to suggest which plan will be best for you, but you can always change it. It seems like going on the one with the fewest points/most 0 point foods would be the most likely one for someone who wants to stay low-carb. 

 

But it isn't low carb in the keto sense. I can eat all the apples and bananas I want! 🙂

[Matryoshka]

On 5/14/2020 at 1:14 PM, PrincessMommy said:

Thanks for this kickstarter thread.  I've been researching and trying to figure things out.  I find that I am hungry all.the.time.   So with that in mind I'm going to start with Keto for about 2-4 weeks.  I don't think it's sustainable long-term, so I will move to SB diet after that.  It has a lot more wiggle room for long-term weight management.    The hunger issues are always a problem for me. 

If you're planning on SB (that's South Beach, yes?) long-term, why not just do Phase 1 of South Beach to start?  Phase 1 is the sugar-detox phase.  It's much more strict than Phase 2 (main weight-loss phase), but way better, for me, than something like keto.  It's not as low-carb, but also not as high-fat.  Legumes are allowed, so that's how I keep from being hungry in Phase 1 - some hummus, beans in my salad, or a soup, or nuts, or some low-fat cheese - and lots of veggies.  But in Phase 1, Zero sugar of any kind including no fruit, even berries, or high-glycemic veggies like carrots or squash, and no grains at.all.  Phase 1 is usually 2 weeks, then you can add back low-glycemic fruit, sweet potatoes and squash, and like a serving-ish a day of a whole grain.  Still no white flour, white rice, potatoes, high-glycemic fruits.

I like guidelines rather than having to count calories or grams of carbs or some-such.  Works much better for me.  I lose weight really well on Phase 2, but I don't seem to be able to stick to it unless I first go on Phase 1 and detox my system from sugar cravings.  It really works, at least for me.  

Phase 3 of SB is maintenance, which is where I am now.  

11 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Things I did when trying to lose weight:

Weighed every day, but only paid attention to the weekly average (Fitbit does the averaging for me)

If I ate something that didn't fit with what I wanted to be eating, tried to take a deep breath, not readjust the rest of the day's eating to 'compensate', just went back to normal healthy eating

Take measurements at the beginning - waist, hips, thighs.  These gave extra motivation because sometimes the measurements were moving when the weight wasn't for some reason

Exercised moderately, but not so extremely that I got overly hungry

Enlisted the help of those around us - no one was monitoring me, but I asked them to stop offering me things I didn't want to eat

I am very similar.  I also weigh every day.  I don't average (I didn't buy a Fitbit till I'd already lost the weight, and I don't bother logging the 1-2 lb fluctuations I get when I'm maintaining).  But I also don't worry at all about things fluctuating - I only pay attention to a 'new number' outside the range - if it's up, then I know it's time to cut back, if it's down, then things are going well.   Now it's just bouncing up and down the same couple of pounds, and I'm just making sure it doesn't creep up.

Measurements are also good, especially if you're also working out enough to be toning.

Edited May 15, 2020 by Matryoshka

[Jenny in Florida]

Okay, I keep scrolling past this thread, but I am on the verge of getting really discouraged. So, here I am joining the group.

Like many others, I've gained and lost pretty large chunks of weight several times in my life. The last time I really took hold of the problem was about a decade ago. I lost a ton of weight and actually reached my goal weight, which I maintained for a couple of years, until my thyroid ran itself off the rails. From that point on, I began packing on weight. The more heavily I was medicated, the heavier I got, until I eventually weighed about 80 pounds more than I had pre-thyroid crisis. Finally, about 3.5 years ago, I had my thyroid removed. And my weight began to drift veeeeerrrrryyyy sloooowwwwllly downward. I have had a lot of issues with weight in my lifetime and have fallen into some disordered eating habits when I focus too much on trying to lose. So I was determined not to go there again and committed to just sort of paying attention to trying to eat more healthfully and get back to walking more regularly and for longer. I lost about 45 of the 80 pounds over the first couple of years. And then stuck there for a while.

Around the beginning of this year--once I recovered from the mastectomy and decided not to pursue reconstruction--it felt like a good time to get more serious, still not doing any crazy restricting and still focusing more on burning calories than on cutting them. But I started tracking what I ate each day and being conscious about making better choices. And I fairly painlessly lost another 8-10 pounds. At the beginning of March, I felt like I was ready to focus on losing another 20-ish. I am not aiming to get back to where I was pre-thyroid crisis, because those last 10 pounds are extremely difficult for me to maintain, and I have accepted that it's healthier for me to just carry a relatively small amount of extra weight for the rest of my life than it is to continue my crazy yo-yo pattern. 

Since then, I've lost 12 more pounds, but I have started seeing weeks when I lose nothing. And I started on an anti-depressant a little over a week ago, which may or may not be the reason I gained back a pound this week. (I'm choosing to blame the gain on the medication.) Hence, the imminent risk of discouragement.

What I've been doing:

• Worked my way up to walking an average of 6 miles per day, every day. Since there is a limited amount of time I can devote to this, I have started trying to increase the intensity by doing intervals of speed walking and occasionally running a few steps. I have to be careful, however, because I have also taken a few pretty good face-planting style falls over the last 18 months, resulting in a couple of cracked ribs and some stitches in my forehead, as well as a variety of scrapes, cuts and bruises. My family would very much appreciate it if I could avoid doing that again. (On days when the weather is uncooperative, I do one or more walk-at-home videos via YouTube.)
• Tracking both food and exercise with my Fitbit. I don't have a specific calorie goal, but in general try to take in about 500 fewer calories than the Fitbit tells me I have burned.
• Doing some very gentle weight-bearing exercise three times a week. My muscles on the cancer-side of the mastectomy are still shot -- not that I was ever what one would call "strong" -- so, again, I have to be careful and gentle. Currently, I'm using two cans of beans as my weights, but it's a start. 

And with that, it is really time for me to go for my second walk of the day. I had to cut this morning's walk short because I had an early doctor's appointment, so I have some steps to make up.

[IfIOnly]

4 hours ago, Jenny in Florida said:

Okay, I keep scrolling past this thread, but I am on the verge of getting really discouraged. So, here I am joining the group.

Like many others, I've gained and lost pretty large chunks of weight several times in my life. The last time I really took hold of the problem was about a decade ago. I lost a ton of weight and actually reached my goal weight, which I maintained for a couple of years, until my thyroid ran itself off the rails. From that point on, I began packing on weight. The more heavily I was medicated, the heavier I got, until I eventually weighed about 80 pounds more than I had pre-thyroid crisis. Finally, about 3.5 years ago, I had my thyroid removed. And my weight began to drift veeeeerrrrryyyy sloooowwwwllly downward. I have had a lot of issues with weight in my lifetime and have fallen into some disordered eating habits when I focus too much on trying to lose. So I was determined not to go there again and committed to just sort of paying attention to trying to eat more healthfully and get back to walking more regularly and for longer. I lost about 45 of the 80 pounds over the first couple of years. And then stuck there for a while.

Around the beginning of this year--once I recovered from the mastectomy and decided not to pursue reconstruction--it felt like a good time to get more serious, still not doing any crazy restricting and still focusing more on burning calories than on cutting them. But I started tracking what I ate each day and being conscious about making better choices. And I fairly painlessly lost another 8-10 pounds. At the beginning of March, I felt like I was ready to focus on losing another 20-ish. I am not aiming to get back to where I was pre-thyroid crisis, because those last 10 pounds are extremely difficult for me to maintain, and I have accepted that it's healthier for me to just carry a relatively small amount of extra weight for the rest of my life than it is to continue my crazy yo-yo pattern. 

Since then, I've lost 12 more pounds, but I have started seeing weeks when I lose nothing. And I started on an anti-depressant a little over a week ago, which may or may not be the reason I gained back a pound this week. (I'm choosing to blame the gain on the medication.) Hence, the imminent risk of discouragement.

What I've been doing:

• Worked my way up to walking an average of 6 miles per day, every day. Since there is a limited amount of time I can devote to this, I have started trying to increase the intensity by doing intervals of speed walking and occasionally running a few steps. I have to be careful, however, because I have also taken a few pretty good face-planting style falls over the last 18 months, resulting in a couple of cracked ribs and some stitches in my forehead, as well as a variety of scrapes, cuts and bruises. My family would very much appreciate it if I could avoid doing that again. (On days when the weather is uncooperative, I do one or more walk-at-home videos via YouTube.)
• Tracking both food and exercise with my Fitbit. I don't have a specific calorie goal, but in general try to take in about 500 fewer calories than the Fitbit tells me I have burned.
• Doing some very gentle weight-bearing exercise three times a week. My muscles on the cancer-side of the mastectomy are still shot -- not that I was ever what one would call "strong" -- so, again, I have to be careful and gentle. Currently, I'm using two cans of beans as my weights, but it's a start. 

And with that, it is really time for me to go for my second walk of the day. I had to cut this morning's walk short because I had an early doctor's appointment, so I have some steps to make up.

I'm amazed by you and all you've come through and your commitment to your health. Truly. Hope this is encouraging: I've read so many weight loss stories about going through a time of stalling sometimes even months and after sticking with it anyway and maybe a tweak or two, the scale starts to budge again, sometimes pretty significantly. Hope you see that scale moving soon! Your gain could be your med. That's a tough predicament. I'm sorry. 

Edited May 16, 2020 by IfIOnly

[IfIOnly]

Question for you, is a Fitbit (or similar device) helpful for you?

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, IfIOnly said:

Question for you, is a Fitbit (or similar device) helpful for you?

For me it is. I don't use it to match up calories used and intake - I would get too obsessive if I tried that. But I enter my weight and it averages that over the week; it gives me an idea of the intensity of my exercise; and it has helped me to prioritise sleep. I occasionally enter my food for a day to make sure I am getting enough protein. My resting heart rate is an interesting fitness marker - it has dropped to 55 from around 65.

Husband and I bought Fitbit Versas in the Black Friday sales eighteen months ago, and they have worked well.

Edited May 16, 2020 by Laura Corin

[....]

I'm late to the party, here, but I lost 22 lbs since Christmas.  Most people keep saying that they've gained weight over the lockdown, but I actually lost a lot.  I don't "feel" like I lost 22 lbs, but when I look in the mirror, my clothes do look like they don't fit right.

My weight loss wasn't really from a diet.  In December, I was really sick.  I dragged myself to the urgent care center with blood pressure of like 210 over something.  They wanted to send me to the hospital, but I refused.  The doctor told me to go get a physical asap.  I did get a physical within a couple of days and they found out that I was actually diabetic.  So, I had been walking around this whole time diabetic and didn't realize.  Lol.  Figures.

Anyway, no more sugar + diabetes medication + joined a gym (which I can't go to right now, though) + walking resulted in me losing 22 lbs so far.  I'm still losing weight slowly, so I would be ok if I lost another 20 lbs.  *shrug*    

I noticed before that when I lose weight permanently, it takes a really loooong time.  If I lose weight quickly through a diet, it just flies back on overnight.

[PrincessMommy]

8 hours ago, IfIOnly said:

Question for you, is a Fitbit (or similar device) helpful for you?

no.  I tried one but I found it annoying.  But, I have low tolerance for devices like that so YMMV.

I would suggest you buy a cheap knock-off one to try out.  

[Laura Corin]

5 minutes ago, PrincessMommy said:

no.  I tried one but I found it annoying.  But, I have low tolerance for devices like that so YMMV.

I would suggest you buy a cheap knock-off one to try out.  

Or borrow one: people who like Fitbit tend to upgrade and maybe will have a spare one lying around.

I thought of another thing that helped with my weight loss: small bowls.  Our breakfast bowls contain just over a cup, so half a cup of porridge/oatmeal, half a cup of zero fat Greek yoghurt and scatter of berries fits perfectly.  There's less temptation to take over-large portions.

[Matryoshka]

8 hours ago, IfIOnly said:

Question for you, is a Fitbit (or similar device) helpful for you?

It's been better than I thought it would be.  I already had a heart rate monitor for workouts from my gym, and honestly that one does work much better for during workouts (yes, I wear two... 😏), but that one really is just for the one thing - it only works with the app, so it's really only good for the duration of a workout.  I finally bought a fitbit because one of my kids was using one to track her sleep and hr through the day which was all wonky.  I got one so we could compare and see if hers was really as wonky as she thought, which turns out it was (she ended up with meds).  But I've ended up liking tracking my baseline hr, my sleep patterns, and for some reason it's been really motivating for me, especially now that I can't go to the gym, to make sure I keep getting those 5 days of exercise in.  It will also auto-track exercise I get tangentially - like pulling all those evil vine roots yesterday got auto-tracked as 'sport', lol.  And I finally figured out how to get it to track my route/distance/pace on a run or walk - this hadn't been something I bothered with before the lockdown because the only place I did those things was on a treadmill...

I got mine after the weight was off, so I haven't bothered tracking things like food, water, or weight.  I do like seeing how many calories it estimates I've burned each day (though I'm not counting calorie intake at all), how many steps I've done (never enough, this is why I need to do dedicated exercise), and for some reason I love looking at those little heart rate graphs.  Anyway, ymmv.  Different people use them really differently.

[Jenny in Florida]

12 hours ago, IfIOnly said:

Question for you, is a Fitbit (or similar device) helpful for you?

 

Very. I was skeptical about whether I would wind up using it, but I do. I appreciate being able to track my mileage throughout the day and now to track my food intake and keep an eye on calories in/calories out. It also helps me keep an eye on how much I'm sleeping (or not).

Edited May 16, 2020 by Jenny in Florida

[lmrich]

I like my Fitbit as well. It motivates me to keep my step count up and keeps me motivated to walk/run at an intensity that is good. It was a gift a few years ago, and I feel no need to upgrade. 

[IfIOnly]

27 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said:

SO MY HUSBAND IS A POD PERSON.

 

I’ve been on what is essentially a specialized version of autoimmune paleo (Wahls protocol) to deal with some of my underlying health issues. It’s pretty clean and restrictive, but very nutrient dense.

 

Yesterday, out of the BLUE, Hubby offered to join me on it since he knows how hard it is for me to make entirely separate meals just for myself for months and years on end, and he kind of wanted to improve his own health too.

 

 I made him read the summary chapter from the book on the diet and offered to let him do the least restrictive phase and he actually said the one I was on sounded better, less choices.  

 

Then I told him he’d need to take a few supplements each day because some things he would get from fortified grains he wouldn’t have on this diet, and also it’s important for maximizing mitochondrial health.  HE PROCEEDED TO GRAB THE BOTTLES, PHOTOGRAPH THEM, AND RECORD THE DAILY DOSAGES HE WOULD NEED TO TAKE???

 

This is a guy who has never been on a diet in the fifteen years I’ve known him, and has never taken supplements or medications either, except when gravely ill.  No complaining, full compliance, and then he went out on his own and searched the internet for some of the foods we eat in bulk that might be cheaper than locally acquiring them in smaller amounts.

 

Like, I can’t even.  I don’t know what happened but he said he’d been thinking about it for awhile and seen my dedication now and over the years, so if I wanted a diet buddy he was all in.  KNOCK ME OVER WITH A FEATHER.

 

Anyway, all that to say, he is on board with eating this way with me and even transitioning the kids over for some of their meals so cooking in bulk makes sense.  It is amazingly encouraging to me to see him doing, entirely of his own volition.  I’ll take it, right?

YES!!! What sweet support and encouragement from your hubby. Lucky woman, you!

[Ottakee]

Artic mom....what supplements do you take for mitochondrial health?   My girls have mito myopathies.  Just wondering what others do.

[Violet Crown]

On 5/16/2020 at 9:00 AM, Laura Corin said:

 

I thought of another thing that helped with my weight loss: small bowls.  Our breakfast bowls contain just over a cup, so half a cup of porridge/oatmeal, half a cup of zero fat Greek yoghurt and scatter of berries fits perfectly.  There's less temptation to take over-large portions.

Yes, this. I inherited my dear grandmother's daily use dishes, and her dinner plates, bowls, and cups are much smaller than modern dishes. A set of Scottish (!) hard cork place mats showed up in our Central Texas thrift store, which fit the size better than our US fabric place mats.  A thrift-store box of 60-70 year-old tarnished plate fixed the problem that our flatware looked too big next to the smaller dishes. I wonder if everything has just gradually increased in size without anyone really noticing.

[OH_Homeschooler]

On 5/15/2020 at 1:28 PM, EmilyGF said:

But it isn't low carb in the keto sense. I can eat all the apples and bananas I want! 🙂

 

True, I have done so many diet plans that I get confused, and forget that something that is healthy and encouraged on one plan may still have too many sugars/carbs for another. 

[IfIOnly]

Back at it this morning after a fun, cheat-filled weekend. It was one of my best friend's birthday yesterday, and we make a weekend of it. She's usually lower carb than what I'm doing, but we did Gyros, scones, cupcakes. Yum. We walked together too though. That counts, right? 😉

Breakfast is a slice of whole grain bread and 2 Tbs of almond, cashew, pumpkin, chia, flax seed butter and coffee and unsweetened almond and coconut creamer (0 calories.) 300 calories. If I could do dairy, I'd love yogurt and fruit for breakfast. I could eat that every day. No eggs either, but egg and toast would be a super yummy and higher protein breakfast as well. Allergies make things hard. 

I've found a cup of coffee or tea with my meals makes them super filling and longer lasting. 

Goals this week are to take a before pic and keep working on eating balanced meals.

 

Edited May 18, 2020 by IfIOnly

[EmilyGF]

32 minutes ago, IfIOnly said:

Back at it this morning after a fun, cheat-filled weekend. It was one of my best friend's birthday yesterday, and we make a weekend of it. She's usually lower carb than what I'm doing, but we did Gyros, scones, cupcakes. Yum. We walked together too though. That counts, right? 😉

Breakfast is a slice of whole grain bread and 2 Tbs of almond, cashew, pumpkin, chia, flax seed butter and coffee and unsweetened almond and coconut creamer (0 calories.) 300 calories. If I could do dairy, I'd love yogurt and fruit for breakfast. I could eat that every day. No eggs either, but egg and toast would be a super yummy and higher protein breakfast as well. Allergies make things hard. 

I've found a cup of coffee or tea with my meals makes them super filling and longer lasting. 

Goals this week are to take a before pic and keep working on eating balanced meals.

 

When I was going to WW meetings, I weighed in every Saturday morning and generally saved my extra points for weekend splurges. The weekend splurges tend to be higher salt and therefore higher water retention. I weighed in this morning, after eating very salty popcorn last night and I'm about 75% sure the increase is water weight. But I'm definitely changing my weigh in day, LOL.

Emily

[Matryoshka]

34 minutes ago, IfIOnly said:

Breakfast is a slice of whole grain bread and 2 Tbs of almond, cashew, pumpkin, chia, flax seed butter and coffee and unsweetened almond and coconut creamer (0 calories.) 300 calories. If I could do dairy, I'd love yogurt and fruit for breakfast. I could eat that every day. No eggs either, but egg and toast would be a super yummy and higher protein breakfast as well. Allergies make things hard. 

I've found a cup of coffee or tea with my meals makes them super filling and longer lasting. 

Oh man, no dairy would be hard! I have yogurt and berries (also with nuts and flax) for breakfast almost every day. What about coconut or soy yogurt? 

I eat almost no eggs, but that's just because I don't like them...

And coffee makes everything better!  I have it with fat-free 'half and half' and stevia,  so it's an almost no-calorie indulgence.

[regentrude]

On 5/17/2020 at 1:10 PM, Violet Crown said:

Yes, this. I inherited my dear grandmother's daily use dishes, and her dinner plates, bowls, and cups are much smaller than modern dishes. A set of Scottish (!) hard cork place mats showed up in our Central Texas thrift store, which fit the size better than our US fabric place mats.  A thrift-store box of 60-70 year-old tarnished plate fixed the problem that our flatware looked too big next to the smaller dishes. I wonder if everything has just gradually increased in size without anyone really noticing.

Definitely. My German dinner plates are 9 in in diameter. 

[PrincessMommy]

@IfIOnly your weekend sounds very nice, even if it was filled with cheat food.  

[EmilyGF]

3 hours ago, regentrude said:

Definitely. My German dinner plates are 9 in in diameter. 

This is a point of the book, Mindless Eating. According to the author, you'd have to use serving plates from the 1950s to equal individual plates today.

But it isn't just plates: it is couches, cars, pants-size-inflation, forks, etc.

[lmrich]

7 hours ago, IfIOnly said:

Back at it this morning after a fun, cheat-filled weekend. It was one of my best friend's birthday yesterday, and we make a weekend of it. She's usually lower carb than what I'm doing, but we did Gyros, scones, cupcakes. Yum. We walked together too though. That counts, right? 😉

Breakfast is a slice of whole grain bread and 2 Tbs of almond, cashew, pumpkin, chia, flax seed butter and coffee and unsweetened almond and coconut creamer (0 calories.) 300 calories. If I could do dairy, I'd love yogurt and fruit for breakfast. I could eat that every day. No eggs either, but egg and toast would be a super yummy and higher protein breakfast as well. Allergies make things hard. 

I've found a cup of coffee or tea with my meals makes them super filling and longer lasting. 

Goals this week are to take a before pic and keep working on eating balanced meals.

 

 I am also allergic to dairy, and so many other foods, but I found Kite Hill yogurt to be really good. Yogurt parfaits are one my favorite meals - fresh berries, gluten free granola, and banana - so good. I add collagen powder to give it a a protein boost, and if I plan ahead I add chia seeds that I have already softened to boost the fiber and protein. 

[medawyn]

This thread has inspired me, and I’m now 2/2 on getting up and walking before the kids get up AND hitting my macros (20/20/60).  I’m 50 lbs away from my “dream” weight and definitely the heaviest I’ve ever been outside of pregnancy.  I stopped breastfeeding for the first time in almost 7 years, and that didn’t help at all.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

Good start to the week. Got in a walk this morning and ate three healthy meals. I’m not counting anything at this point but am trying to not eat too many carbs, mostly grains. I could eat bread all day. I did a little better drinking water but still pretty far from where I need to be with that. For now I think I will weigh myself every day or every few days. I don’t want to become obsessed with the scale but I think the daily reminder of what I’m working towards might be helpful. 

[IfIOnly]

On 5/18/2020 at 10:55 AM, Matryoshka said:

Oh man, no dairy would be hard! I have yogurt and berries (also with nuts and flax) for breakfast almost every day. What about coconut or soy yogurt? 

I eat almost no eggs, but that's just because I don't like them...

And coffee makes everything better!  I have it with fat-free 'half and half' and stevia,  so it's an almost no-calorie indulgence.

 

On 5/18/2020 at 6:05 PM, lmrich said:

 I am also allergic to dairy, and so many other foods, but I found Kite Hill yogurt to be really good. Yogurt parfaits are one my favorite meals - fresh berries, gluten free granola, and banana - so good. I add collagen powder to give it a a protein boost, and if I plan ahead I add chia seeds that I have already softened to boost the fiber and protein. 

 

I do like almond and coconut yogurt. They're expensive though, but I would splurge regularly if they provided as much protein as dairy yogurt. 😔

Life has been busy this week, and I got sucked into discussing the virus online (here), which I told myself not to do. Made it til May at least? Ugh.

Haven't made time for exercise. That mostly has to do with our rainy and cold weather this week. Today is nice though. I should get out!

Doing well with staying around calorie limit, just not eating well balanced meals. Yesterday I had a can of olives and a blueberry corn muffin for lunch. So bad. Full, but no protein. 

Weighed myself a few days early. Another pound down. So happy I'm getting my weight back under control.

Edited May 20, 2020 by IfIOnly

[lmrich]

Ugg - I had allergy testing done two years ago and was told to introduce foods back in slowly. (I am allergic to dairy, wheat - so bad I am supposed to wear gloves and a mask if I bake with it- rice, night shades (tomatoes, peppers..), cabbage, broccoli - the coniferous veggies. Anyway had roasted Brussel sprouts last night and was up all night with a runny nose and cough. Slept maybe two hours. Good news - my picky dd loved the Brussel sprouts so I will make them again for the rest of the family. So today was a not a great day for exercise. Tried to go on walks but was too dizzy.

 

Yogurt is one of my absolute favorite foods - it could be my top favorite so the splurge is worth it for me. 

 

[IfIOnly]

3 minutes ago, lmrich said:

Ugg - I had allergy testing done two years ago and was told to introduce foods back in slowly. (I am allergic to dairy, wheat - so bad I am supposed to wear gloves and a mask if I bake with it- rice, night shades (tomatoes, peppers..), cabbage, broccoli - the coniferous veggies. Anyway had roasted Brussel sprouts last night and was up all night with a runny nose and cough. Slept maybe two hours. Good news - my picky dd loved the Brussel sprouts so I will make them again for the rest of the family. So today was a not a great day for exercise. Tried to go on walks but was too dizzy.

 

Yogurt is one of my absolute favorite foods - it could be my top favorite so the splurge is worth it for me. 

 

Your allergy list is a hard one. That must be so tough. I'm sorry reintroduction didn't go well. Hopefully you will get some other foods back.  I like your silver lining thinking. ♥️