Weight Loss Support Check In 9-8-09 - YouLookFab Forum

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Weight Loss Support Check In 9-8-09

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Did everyone survive Labor Day?
We went to a BBQ, but these friends are trying to loose weight as well, so not too much temptation.
I'm down all the weight that I had gained last week (7 pounds!), so I'm happy about that. I've hit a real in between stage, and I've gone through this before. It's frustrating because nothing seems to fit very well, and it makes me self conscious. I know that this is the stage that I go through before having a loss and going down a size, so I want to push through and get there.
How is everyone else doing?

General

45 replies

Latest reply was from anne

shiny

Veteran

Despite the massive bloating that added 5 inches to my belly this weekend, as of this morning, I'm still holding steady at the same weight since the last time you asked!

Focusing on the positive:

1. I am not gaining.
2. I have been consistently exercising (running 3-4x per week - every other day) for three months now.
3. The weather is getting cooler so running is MUCH more pleasant too.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

That's great Shiny!
I've been doing 40 minutes on my elliptical every weekday. It's hard to believe that a year ago I couldn't even get through 5 minutes. I feel a lot better when I exercise.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Hmm...I was disappointed to see that I'd gained 1.5 lbs. overnight - my fault though, for nibblies in front of the tv last night (turkey jerkey, almond crackers, hummus). What did I expect?

Plus, yesterday I tried taking pictures out in the backyard for one of those 'What is my shape?' posts - and well, I didn't like what I saw. I wonder if that's what got me going into the crackers and hummus? It was a litte mini binge. Not good.

Meanwhile, tomorrow marks three weeks since I've been to the gym. I came down with the flu and it really knocked me off my feet, for a good 2+ weeks there. Now, the flu is all gone, and I'm just dealing with some lingering minor fatigue, it seems.

I've already lost a lot of weight, and it's time for me to finish the job off. Just that I need to really psychologically gear myself up for it. I'm going to have to work very hard to get it done. It's going to be one of those mind over matter deals. To be quite honest, I think this last bit is going to be the toughest leg of my journey yet.

One of the weird things? So many people in my life are complimenting me for losing the weight, and saying that I look great and all that - but this is just in comparison with before. It doesn't mean I don't still have more to lose - yet I have some people saying, "Oh, don't worry about it..." and so on.

In terms of feeling good about myself - not having any clothes isn't helping me at all. I'm resisting buying too much in the way of clothing because I've gone through several 'mini wardrobes' with each passing season already. I've had to buy a new winter coat/jacket every year for the past three years.

There's a reason for this - I've lost the weight relatively slowly - which is supposed to be healthy, and I'm happy that it's staying off as a result (well, except for these minor blips when I cave into crackers and hummus). However, it also means a new coat every year. lol!

I guess I'd better hurry on up with this. I'm going to need a new trench and a new winter coat pretty soon. It was still 80+ degrees today, so I'm fine for now. Maybe it's time to just put my nose to the grindstone and blast off the last of the weight?

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

velvetychocolate- I am right there with you!
I'm a year into my weight loss, and only halfway there. Like you- I've been buying a new mini-wardrobe each season. It's really frustrating, but I also feel like this long term weight loss is what will work for me. I'm looking ahead to another year of facing each season with hardly any clothes (or shoes if my feet continue to change like they have been), and wish that it would just be over. At least you are nearing your goal now. Don't give up- you will make it there!

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Thanks chewyspaghetti

I'm definitely not giving up - just trying to get myself geared up for the last stint. It's not like I'm ever really 'off plan', but there are times when I'm mostly just coasting along. Of course, this is interspersed with periods of weight loss, and also periods of minor weight gain (ie. special occasions or just plain old munching).

So funny about the shoes - the same thing happened to me. Turns out I maybe have narrow feet or something. Meanwhile, one of the stranger things along this journey? All of my sleeves are too long. This started last fall - and I remember thinking, "What? Are my arms shrinking now too?"

I'm having trouble with more tailored pieces - if they fit around the middle, they're too big in the shoulders and the sleeves are way too long.

Fun, fun, fun.

I'm ready to hit the gym in earnest this upcoming Monday. I figure that's enough recovery time from the flu and enough floundering around, feeling sorry for myself.

In the meantime, I'm working on clearing out my closet. I think there's only about 10% there that actually fits.

rute

Veteran

CS,

I've lost only one pound this week, but i'm glad because I'm dropping, slowly, but dropping..
I know what you mean.. it's so frustating.. because the clothes from last winter are a little too baggy and we feel that it's too soon to buy more (we want to drop more weight..)!

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Good for you, rute! One pound at a time- that's how I am getting there
My clothes from last winter are long gone- I have dropped 4 sizes since then. I have a couple of things that I picked up off clearance at the very end of winter (bought them a little tight), and those will mostly have to see me through. I've already had to weed out a couple of my summer items, but I don't want to replace those since summer is nearly over, and I am hoping to still drop a significant amount of weight. We're still having temps in the triple digits and 90's, but by December we will be down to the 40's and 50's (or even 30's). That's my dilemma- not much of a fall, but a relatively cold winter. I have picked up a couple of dresses that I hope to layer and be able to wear for fall, but I don't know. I get cold so easily with the weight loss. I sometimes end up in sweats or a hoodie in the evening here when it is in the 60's. It makes me glad that I picked up a pair of wool pants from the BR outlet when I found them for $17. I think that I will live in those this winter.

shiny

Veteran

This morning I saw a break-through on the scale - so I am officially down another pound!!

I'm curious what you all think about the latest tunic/leggings/voluminous styles? Easier to work with, when you are losing weight, because they don't need to be so ruthlessly fitted? Or do you find they backfire and encourage you to gain it back?

shiny

Veteran

Chewy, it's interesting you get cold - I find the opposite! When I'm in weight loss mode, I am burning up. DH will remark on how warm my hands are. I will be kicking off the blankets at night. My temp will even run 1 degree higher than normal. I always figured it meant my metabolism is working in overdrive to (literally!) burn off the pounds.

When my temperature drops and I'm constantly cold (especially my hands), and stealing covers from DH, it's usually a sign I'm not eating enough and my metabolism has screeched to a halt. And that's when I'm most likely to plateau.

Not that I have any scientific proof or anything - it just seems to work that way for me.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Shiny- that's great!
Because of my body shape, I like less fitted and more voluminous styles, anyway. I do think they are much easier to deal with when losing (and gaining). I was reading your other thread, and I know that I am exeriencing bloat and water retention now that I have never dealt with before. I'm only 36, but my sister started having pre-menopausal symptoms at 28. Even though I am exercising regularly and tracking food, I know that I am going to have days where I am thankful for a floaty garment. I don't think that it encourages gain for me- but I weigh myself daily.

The cold is not metabolism related for me Shiny. I'm just used to a layer of insulating fat that I no longer have. It's really common among people who have lost a significant amount of weight for the first time. 50 pounds of blubber really keeps you warm!

shiny

Veteran

Chewy, I have carried 50 extra lbs before - that was over 15 years ago, when I went through that first big weight loss. I guess you could say I am an old pro ! But I still recall running cold back then. Weird, huh? (And I'm talking about normally, not the hot flashes... those are much different. They are briefer, 20 minutes tops.)

I'm hoping these new AT trousers will provide a bloaty day option for me! They have stretch and seem more forgiving. I bought the second pair on a day when I was experiencing major bloat, and they looked good! Now I just have to figure out hem length to accommodate both bloat vs non-bloat days.

Kari

Veteran

Wow, I guess I'm not the only one who tends to be cold for no reason! I am always piling on layers when other people are comfortable and warm.

I am not watching the scale too closely right now because I was focusing a *lot* on the numbers, and nothing was changing. So instead I'm working on eating healthier (including packing VERY healthy lunches to bring to work) and working out 5 days a week. I have a big dance workshop this weekend that will be very exhausting, but lots of exercise. So... I'm trying.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Kari- are you eating enough? That's usually when I get stuck especially if I am working out a lot. Right now I am ping ponging. I will eat something that causes me to gain 4 pounds overnight (processed meats, or other sodium laden foods) and then I have to work that off before I can get back to losing. It's very frustrating.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

CS - that's amazing - you losing four sizes since last winter. Just incredible.

And yeah, I've gotten the being cold thing too. Right around the 50lb mark, actually.

I'm curious about the eating enough when exercising. I have a feeling I'm maybe not eating enough, but ...I also deal with the ping-ponging deal too. Which makes me want to be extra careful with food.

Not very happy with the scale this week. Still up 1.2 lbs.

This sometimes makes me think I'm not trying hard enough. Anyone else feel that way when they get 'stuck' ?

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

velvetychocolate-
I can tell you that the only two time I have hit a plateau through my weight loss, I was not eating enough calories for the amount of exercise that I was doing. If you google calorie range calculators, there are a ton of different ones. I took the average of several of them, and it is working for me. You may want to try a few out and see what they suggest for you. Currently, I spend 8 hours/week doing cardio, and 2 hours of yoga. I need to eat between 1800-2000 calories a day to loose weight. If I go much over, I gain- under I also sometimes gain. The current accepted theory is that if you undereat, your body goes into starvation mode and will hold onto fat. I have heard that you should eat back 25% of the calories that you exercise off, but I have never figured that out for myself. If you go to Sparkpeople.com and sign up, they will give you a suggested calorie range for your activity level. That as where I started, but I've had to adjust it myself.

shiny

Veteran

Re: under-eating... what seems to work is to figure out what calorie level your body needs to maintain your current weight and exercise level, and then subtract out 250-500 calories. No more than that. So for example if you weigh 200 and your goal is 150 lbs, don't try surviving on the calorie allotment for a 150 lb person. You will cut calories too steeply and your body goes into starvation mode. You see a lot of diets recommend 1200 calories and this is just too little for most people - even for me it's too little. You have to be very short, older than 50, and basically on complete bed-rest, to need only 1200 cals.

I am very short and mid-40s, so my body needs about 1400-1600 calories depending on how active I am. When I was meticulously tracking, I found that if I shaved anymore than 400 calories off of that, I would plateau. It seemed the closer I got to my goal, the less I could shave off. So for example, right now, with about 3-4 lbs to go, I can only really shave off about 150 calories a day without slamming myself into starvation mode. Which is why it's taking me an entire month to lose a pound. The closer you get to goal, the slower the going is... there's no getting around it, if you want to do it the right way, I'm afraid!

The good news is that 150 calories is easy. It's one less glass of wine, or slightly smaller portions throughout the day, or a 30 minute slow run.

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

I'm still plugging away over here! My husband is battling strep (I'm praying, crossing fingers, etc that I won't get it even though the symptoms are all here) so I've been resting a lot. I get up to go to work, take an afternoon nap, work out, nap, make and eat dinner, and then go to bed. Wow.
Buuut, I always tell people who ask me for weight loss advice...you can eat healthy/within your calories/etc regardless of your ability to work out.
Last night I made us a pot of black bean soup and a fresh mixed green salad. So tasty and very satisfying! I've been losing a few ounces every day on average, but I'm trying not to weigh too much.
It's a fine line. If I weigh too much, I get frustrated if the scale stays the same or if I gain (you technically can fluctuate up to 5 pounds depending on what you ate or how much water you've retained). But if I don't weigh enough I get lazy and don't push as hard to reach a certain goal.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

So, if you suspect you're not eating enough - and you ramp UP the calories, will you see a gain from that?

I eat three decent meals a day, plus sometimes a snack - but my calories aren't that high. I'm 5' 6" tall, and when I manage to track/log my food intake, it's anywhere from 1100-1400 calories. Of course, I'm sure there's many days I go over that, but I wouldn't know - because those are the days I just don't manage to log in my food intake (funny, how that works).

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Sorry to hear about the strep Sarah - awful how people are getting sick these days, isn't it? Did your husband get some antibiotics for the strep? You might need some too.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

I hope it's ok to 'vent' a wee bit in this weight loss support thread.

I'm so tempted to run over and try on and maybe buy this ink blue boyfriend blazer that I've been looking at longingly on the Dillard's website. Thing is, by the time I get to 'goal', I'll most likely have dropped two more sizes, and I have every intention of getting that job done by Christmas.

This means I should maybe calm down on the clothes-buying front - even though I just cleared out my entire usptairs closet and have next to nothing left to wear.

I'm going to have to buy some stuff - since I have nothing left for the next season. Well, I have two pairs of jeans, and one sweater. A bunch of cardigans (summer weight, elbow length sleeves). That's pretty much it. Oh, and I don't have a trench or coat either.

So yeah - maybe it's a dumb idea to go rushing off looking at things I 'want' instead of things I need. Is anyone else doing this? Sort of holding back on the shopping while losing the weight?

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I think your calorie range sounds low, and that if you up it you will see an immediate drop.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Thanks CS - I'll start logging my food intake again, and then up the cals and see what happens.

Kari

Veteran

Khris, I just kind of assume I'm eating enough because I eat when I get hungry, wait to see if eating satiates the craving so I don't overeat, and then eat some more if I'm still hungry. So maybe I'm not eating enough after all.

Now that I'm working, I'm packing VERY healthy meals - light cheese & plain lowfat yogurt, lots of raw veggies & fruit to snack on (sugar snap peas & apples), veggies & lean proteins (today was green beans and salmon leftovers) for lunch, and drinking plenty of tea and water. I'm going to experiment with that for a while to see if my weight changes at all. I hate tracking calories but maybe I need to.

The thing I am having a hard time is I leave my house around 6:15 AM, and I just can't eat solid food that early in the day. (I have a giant pot of tea but that's it.) I've never managed to eat before 7 without feeling sick. I know eating breakfast is highly encouraged, but I may just have to make do with tea & then snack on dairy products or instant oatmeal at work until lunchtime.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

kari- I don't eat breakfast that early either. I'm often out the door by 6:15 am headed to the gym. By the time I get back from gym, and come up with breakfast - it's 7:30 or even 8am. I think as long as you eat something within a couple of hours of waking, you'll be fine.

That said, if I eat breakfast too much later than this - it messes up the whole day. Not hungry enough for lunch, but then end up 'too hungry' in the middle of the afternoon, and more likely to veer off plan. And it carries on like this the whole day. So yes, I do find breakfast very important - but just wanted to mention that I haven't noticed any terrible ramifications from waiting an hour or two. I mean, when you're up at dark o'clock - it's kind of hard to force food on yourself. But, on the other hand, you don't want to find yourself 'starving' at 10 am after having been up for four hours already.

anne

Veteran

Kari, I agree with Sara on the breakfast thing - waiting til after 7 should be fine!

I am happy to report that I no longer have a cold and have managed three jog/walk sessions on Mon/wed/ fri. This is more exercise than I have managed for some months (It's been winter here in Australia and I have 3 young kids, so the germ exposure is high. Swine Flu is probably rampant in our town too, but I am pretty certain I have escaped that, but did come down with the flu)

However last weekend was a weight blowout again for me. I am not overweight, but have a range I am comfortable in, and went over it for the second time in the last month or so. It is quite explicable though - a weekend visit and Fathers' day feasting included all up way to much cream and paratha!
I think I just need to cut down on desserts and second helpings and keep up the exercise. I am still breastfeeding, and seem to be able to eat a fair bit.

Got to take my hat off to you long term weight loss guys - it sounds so hard and I really admire your persistence!

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Kari- what about a protien bar or something like that once you get to the office? (easy and fast- no mess) I agree with the others about trying to find a way to get somethign in your stomach within a few hours of waking. I don't always want to eat right away, but I do think it helps to balance out your blood sugar and set the right tone for the day. If I miss breakfast, I know that I am setting myself up for a bad day.

Anne- I'm glad you're finally feeling better! Congrats on your running.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Well done everyone! Sounds like you’re reaching your targets. Big congrats to all of you.

Kari, packed lunches are the way to go. I lovingly make Greg’s lunch every morning.

On the breakfast thing, I can only eat 3-4 hours after I’ve woken up which means that breakfast is at 9.30am ish. I’ve had two cups of tea by then though. If I eat breakfast at 7 or 8am, I feel sick and awful. I have been like this my entire life. Everyone’s bodily needs are a little different I guess! The trick is that I NEED something to eat at 9.30am to 10am and if I don’t get something – I’m climbing the walls. Like now. It’s 9.46am. Have to eat before my client appointment. Cheers!

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

I can SO relate, VC. I'm itching to shop and buy new things but I have no idea how my body will change. I got two dresses at NAS and another at AT and I'm really nervous. I'm hoping it wasn't a stupid move.
Things like pants, jeans, and tops are not ideal to buy now with the intention of wearing later. But it's sooo hard!
I make our dinners at night and make enough for leftovers for both of us the next day. I made a delicious black bean soup the other night and we're still eating it.
Twice a month I buy my husband granola bars and trail mix in bulk so he can snack during the day. He's really never been overweight, and in fact often doesn't eat enough. This way he has stuff available. I pack his lunch and add in a yogurt or fresh veggies with it every day.
We follow the Clean Eating plan, which has worked great for me in losing weight. I highly recommend it. Four to five smaller meals a day keeps me satisfied but not full or stuffed feeling.

shiny

Veteran

Velvet, if you are at the gym a lot, yeah, you probably are undereating. 1100 is definitely too low. No adult woman, no matter what age, fitness level, or height can get adequate nutrition on 1100 calories. You need at least 1200, and at that level, you have to eat perfectly - completely, 100% clean. No empty calories at all. This is yet another reason why extreme dieting is harmful. You can eat less than 1200 for a very short period of time, but over the long haul, you are cheating your body of the nutrients it needs.

Meanwhile, if you are at the gym a lot, your body needs additional calories for building:
1) Stronger muscles
2) Denser bones to support those muscles and the impact of your activity;
3) Additional capillaries to more quickly bring blood and oxygen to your muscles
4) Water stores - the body needs a certain ratio of water on hand in your muscles to be able to convert glucose to glycogen when you exercise.

All of the above have weight. It's the good kind of weight - it's lean mass. So it's not uncommon for people's weight to go up before it comes down. Often if you've been out of shape your body first needs to do 1-4 before the fat really starts to burn off. The fitter you are, the more efficient your body is at burning fat.

This is getting long-winded but if your goal is to get fitter, you need to eat adequate calories. Body builders know this: when they are in muscle-building mode, they eat a few hundred calories over. They do not diet. If you are dieting, you cannot build lean mass.

So if you do up your calories, yes, you may find your weight increases - your body is going to pack on lean mass with the extra calories because you are making so many fitness demands on it - but then it should dive back down as that new lean mass starts to burn more fat, and break through your plateau.

Make sense?

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