Weight Loss

[Jambalaya]

I am five feet three and weigh 190 pounds. My weight has always yo-yo'd. But now I have plantar fasciitis and other ailments from being overweight. Well, I fall into the obese category, truth be told. (BMI of over 30.) My family has always been overweight too.

I can't see myself doing too much about it before the holidays, but in January would anyone be interested in a weight loss thread? We could encourage each other, and maybe check in to the thread once a month with progress updates. If so, I know it should probably be posted in the Healthy Living section, a forum I have never visited but seen the title of. Just wanted to get it ¨out there¨ here first because I don't know how active the other thread is.

 

[telephone89]

I would! But i think it's never too early to start I've been working on myself for about a month now.

 

[LLJsmom]

I am five feet three and weigh 190 pounds. My weight has always yo-yo'd. But now I have plantar fasciitis and other ailments from being overweight. Well, I fall into the obese category, truth be told. (BMI of over 30.) My family has always been overweight too.

I can't see myself doing too much about it before the holidays, but in January would anyone be interested in a weight loss thread? We could encourage each other, and maybe check in to the thread once a month with progress updates. If so, I know it should probably be posted in the Healthy Living section, a forum I have never visited but seen the title of. Just wanted to get it ¨out there¨ here first because I don't know how active the other thread is.

Jambalaya, good for you for initiating such a thread. I have seen that thread in healthy living, and it does appear dead.

There are posters who might have seen partial pictures of me and would wonder why I am interested in this thread. I have been overweight before, and have since dropped the weight. (I am 5'2, and my max weight was 164. This was about 10 years ago, when I was dealing with pregnancy and depression.) But for me, regardless of weight, I struggle with food issues, exercise, and mental health well-being. I would find it very beneficial and would be happy to participate. Hope people find value in such a thread, regardless of where they are weight and healthwise, mental and physical.

I hope that you are finding some way to exercise, move, or stay active even with the plantar. I have had it before and found it very annoying. I would suggest weight work, and mat pilates. Those exercises can be done off your feet, or with minimum strain due to limits to flexing or extending those muscles most pained by plantar. Maybe even portions of bikram. I'm a huge fan.

 

[Jambalaya]

Telephone - good for you! Yay for your motivation and success! I am very happy to hear that it's going so well.

I just feel a bit tired at the moment and don't have much motivation. Also have a ton of house stuff and admin to do, but I feel like I'll be able to get round to starting in a month or so.

In the meantime, keep up the good work!

 

[Jambalaya]

LLjsmom, thanks for the support and yay for you too, with keeping to a healthy lifestyle!

The plantar fasciitis is a pain, yes. I'm tired of hobbling every time I get off the couch. And also, it's been years since I've worn a skirt unless with hose, so I can't wear skirts in summer. Because within hours my legs have rubbed together and I've got painful chafing.

I really like the Tiffany T silver bangle and one is selling for a very good price pre-owned in a jewler downtown, but it's size small. I wonder if I would be crazy to buy it and slim into it. For the price, it's so tempting. It's not that small, just a little tight. Would probably be uncomfortable on a hot day though. I have the silver T ring and I like to be matchy - somehow I feel that trying to match looks somewhat put together and helps makes up for my weight, even though I know matching might not be that fashionable. I've put on about another ten pounds since I got the T ring so that's a little tight too. Everything I own is ¨a little tight¨!

 

[iLander]

I think I can play too. DH has just been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, so we have to have a total lifestyle change. The diet for diabetes is very similar to a sensible weight loss plan: high-fiber, low fat, low sugar, high fruit and veggie, low carb meals. He also has to exercise at least 1/2 hour a day.

Don't try to "diet". Just find healthy substitutes for all your favorite foods, and eat them. There are healthy versions of all kinds of stuff. As I find them, I will post here. Plus move around, not for muscles or toning, but just to get your blood circulating, and metabolism going. And drink mostly water with the occasional Crystal Light, lemon tea is decent.

I think I can pop in with what I figure out as I muddle along, hopefully it will help others. Hopefully, others that have diabetes food suggestions will help me, because my head is spinning with this.

So far, I've figured out that white is the enemy: white pasta, white bread, white potatoes, all those seem to be bad. Fiber is our friend, because it fills him up and cleans out his system. Plus veggie, veggie, veggie.

We had this last night, with a low sugar (so much sugar in pasta sauce!! ) pasta sauce, and it totally fooled him, it tasted like spaghetti noodles. Black bean spaghetti!

http://www.plummarket.com/home/explore-asian-organic-black-bean-spaghetti-7-05oz.html?p_id=16166&vfsku=650748777599&gpla=pla&gclid=CMuQpPesh8ICFWgV7AodjQ0AFw

So if you're a pasta craver, the fiber in this will fill you up and it tastes good. It's Cheap at Costco. Plus soooooo much iron and calcium! He's not a health food type guy, so if it tasted weird in any way, he wouldn't have eaten it.

 

[Jambalaya]

Thanks Ilander. I think I will try the black bean food that you linked. I am sorry to hear about your husband's diabetes, but it sounds as if you are doing all the right things. Yay for the both of you!

 

[PintoBean]

Great thread!

I am also struggling to lose weight - I have the 40 lbs I put on during my 4 years of working full time and going to law school in the evenings - 10 lbs per year from 2007-2011.

Then the 10 lbs I put on then took off a few lbs 2011-2012 for my wedding - the extra pounds were transitioning from working in the city and taking public transport to driving to and from work in the suburbs. But they came off a bit with some dieting and exercise pre-wedding.

Then the additional 10 lbs I put on transitioning from working in the suburbs to working from home, for a grand total of 55 lbs.

So far I've knocked off about 3-5 lbs. About a pound a month, with the assistance of my fitbit and Leslie Sansone videos - I had a dvd, but found a whole bunch on youtube! I try to take a break every hour and walk with her video for 5-10 minutes, but some days, work gets crazy and I don't get to take consistent breaks. Instead, I play one of Leslie Sansone's walking videos on my laptop and keep pace with her while watching prime time tv. The fitbit helped because it let me see what my baseline was for steps taken during a sedentary day. Then I made goals to add X number of steps. It's been quite helpful.

Also, I live in an apartment, so when I am working from home - everything is practically arm's length. I noticed that when I was petsitting at my parents', running between 3 floors to let the dogs out, or from forgetting things up/downstairs, I was automatically doing 2,000 steps no problem, whereas in the apartment, I have to "workout" to get the 2,000 steps down .

OK - enough rambling, Pintobean, and go take a few steps away from the laptop!

 

[iLander]

Thanks Ilander. I think I will try the black bean food that you linked. I am sorry to hear about your husband's diabetes, but it sounds as if you are doing all the right things. Yay for the both of you!

Thanks, Jambalaya! He was really in bad shape, and this diagnosis (less than two weeks ago) has thrown us for a loop.

But, on the upside, there is no better motivator for eating right!

There are so many things with sneaky fat and calories! I'm amazed, I thought we were eating well all these years. But even white tortillas are carb and calorie bombs! I made him a romaine lettuce, tomatoes, beans and rice burrito with salsa (a free food!) using these Smart and Delicious Low Carb Tortillas http://www26.netrition.com/low_carb_tortillas_page.html and they were a hit. So good for him, not a weird taste. Again, at Costco.

Low carbs (which your body turns into fat if you don't exercise a ton), low sugar (more fat), low fat (self-explanatory ) food. High fiber fills you up. Veggies, fruits (NOT juice!) are free food.

He's dieted tons of times over the years, just yo-yos back up. This high fiber stuff is keeping him full, apples & fruits for sweetness, no fat cheeses, lots of chicken/tuna/shrimp/pork chops. I think we might have a shot this time.

 

[missy]

Hi Jambalaya, good for you! Starting a thread for shared motivation and encouragement is a great idea and I would love to participate if mainly to be supportive and offer any tips. I have gained a bit of weight since I had an accident in June but I don't want to really lose it but rather get into better cardio condition and tone up the way I was before the accident but not as skinny.

Here are some tips I would like to share that work for me:

1. move as much as you can. If you can take the stairs instead of the elevator do that.
Walk where you can instead of driving and if it is too far bicycle there if you can.

2. I don't believe in "diets" as they are difficult to maintain for any real length of time. Make smart nutritional choices and you don't need to "diet". I choose nutritionally dense foods that are lower in calories than their non nutritional counterparts. Foods such as legumes, lean meats, fruits and vegetables.

3. I also believe you are better off eating small meals or snacks every few hours vs eating one or two big meals a day. I like to eat within the first hour or two of waking up as one I am hungry lol and two I want to get my metabolism going and stoking the fires every few hours works. It also keeps the blood sugar more stable eating that way. It works for me and my body and my appetite.

Good luck to everyone!

 

[kenny]

Jambalaya, you posted about your plantar fasciitis ... so I just wanted to post a bit of good news.

I had that around 15 years ago and saw a podiatrist MD for it.
He said there's no cure and I'd struggle with it all my life.

FWIW, he was wrong in my case.
It went away, even though I weigh much more now.
I have no idea how/why it went away.
I even did not follow his orders of always wearing supportive shoes.

 

[LLJsmom]

I am five feet three and weigh 190 pounds. My weight has always yo-yo'd. But now I have plantar fasciitis and other ailments from being overweight. Well, I fall into the obese category, truth be told. (BMI of over 30.) My family has always been overweight too.

I can't see myself doing too much about it before the holidays, but in January would anyone be interested in a weight loss thread? We could encourage each other, and maybe check in to the thread once a month with progress updates. If so, I know it should probably be posted in the Healthy Living section, a forum I have never visited but seen the title of. Just wanted to get it ¨out there¨ here first because I don't know how active the other thread is.

Jambalaya, I also forgot to mention to try athletic taping to reduce the pain of plantar. It always helps me when I am injured. Look up videos on youtube under "KT Tape" and "plantar fasciitis", and it will give you specific instructions on how to apply the tape. You can order KT online, on AMazon. The videos are very easy to follow. I have also found that Rocktape is stickier and will stay on better, even after a shower.

It does help relieve pain quite a bit, and the pressure as well. I also use it on my son if he feels it after soccer matches. It's not just for athletes. Anyone can use this.

I think I developed it from imbalanced running form, too much heel striking and overuse. And my shoes had too MUCH cushion. The shoes with too much cushion forced my feet and legs to constantly readjust to balance my body weight. I transitioned to less cushion, and more stable shoes. I changed my running form. I think that did the trick.

I think that as you drop the weight, and maybe consider shoes that have support but not too much cushion, it will help. Also, doing exercises that strengthen all your muscles on your leg to balance out the effort of movement will help prevent plantar from recurring in the future.

Best of luck with the plantar.

 

[TooPatient]

Would LOVE to join in the support here!

I am about 5'3"-5'4" (depending on the assistant who measures me) and weighed myself last week to be 228 pounds

Honestly, the reason I weighed myself is because I nearly passed out on Friday. I am 99% sure I have blood sugar issues due to my weight but it has never been this bad. DH was ready to take me to the emergency room as my lips had lost all color and my eyes had black circles around them. I purchased a blood sugar monitor (still need the test solution and strips from the pharmacist) so I can get an idea of where I am. Will follow up with the doctor if I have to otherwise will monitor myself along with getting serious about this weight loss.

We have a great exercise group that meets for an hour every day but the last couple of days it has been just us as people have lots going on in life right now.

The good news is that I weighed myself yesterday and again this morning and am down to 226. Heading in the right direction!


DH is also working to lose weight. He is 5'11" - 6'0" and currently 248 pounds.


We are trying to accomplish this in a slow but steady way. Making sustainable exercise and diet changes.



Thanks for starting this! I hope we can all stick with it and support each other!
Good luck to all!

 

[missy]

Jambalaya, I forgot to write what has helped me in the past with plantar fasciitis. Massaging the bottom of my feet with them does help.

http://www.amazon.com/Due-North-Foot-Massage-Count/dp/B00BXAM6BW/ref=pd_sim_hpc_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=1P3SE9HGBY18Y7KBK8TH

Also a lovely new PSer (techietechie) recommended this book to me and it mentions massaging trigger points as helpful for plantar fasciitis as well for other conditions. "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook". I read the whole thing on my kindle and it has some very helpful info.

http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-Treatment-ebook/dp/B00ECLGALG/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1416426957&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=trigger+point+therapy+workbook+kindle

 

[soocool]

Would LOVE to join in the support here!

I am about 5'3"-5'4" (depending on the assistant who measures me) and weighed myself last week to be 228 pounds

Honestly, the reason I weighed myself is because I nearly passed out on Friday. I am 99% sure I have blood sugar issues due to my weight but it has never been this bad. DH was ready to take me to the emergency room as my lips had lost all color and my eyes had black circles around them. I purchased a blood sugar monitor (still need the test solution and strips from the pharmacist) so I can get an idea of where I am. Will follow up with the doctor if I have to otherwise will monitor myself along with getting serious about this weight loss.

We have a great exercise group that meets for an hour every day but the last couple of days it has been just us as people have lots going on in life right now.

The good news is that I weighed myself yesterday and again this morning and am down to 226. Heading in the right direction!


DH is also working to lose weight. He is 5'11" - 6'0" and currently 248 pounds.


We are trying to accomplish this in a slow but steady way. Making sustainable exercise and diet changes.





Thanks for starting this! I hope we can all stick with it and support each other!
Good luck to all!

.
Not to scare you, but if you feel like you were going to pass out and your lips lost all color you should see your doctor asap. It could be something very serious. The reason I am here today is that I listened to my body that something was not right and went to the ER.

 

[PattyCo]

I would love to join, too. I am 49, overweight, high cholesterol, couch potato, chocoholic...sigh

 

[woofmama]

Count me in! I was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last May. I have lost about 20lbs since then by following the diet Ilander wrote about but want to drop at least 20 more lbs. I used to be a gym rat, into weight training and cardio. I was in fantastic shape.

I have lymphedma in both legs and went thru menopause last year. That combined with opening my small business killed my workouts and I gained 40lbs over 5 years. My dad was diagnosed with diabetes in his 30's and was in great shape, an avid body builder. So my Doctor thinks my chances of getting it were very high regardless. I have to get it under control because my legs are at great risk with the two diseases. So far I have been following the diet reasonably well but haven't starting working out yet. I'm considering yoga and pilates.

After I had my first child I was 60lbs overweight for about two years. I was on bed rest for that pregnancy and gained way too much. I lost all of that and kept it in check for over 18 years even through a second pregnancy. I can't believe I'm in this boat again

But I'm ready to go ladies! For me life begins again at 50

 

[Guilty Pleasure]

I will participate! I'm nine months pregnant (due today actually), and I will start exercising after my doctor clears me around the new year, I assume. I was carrying extra weight before the pregnancy, and now obviously will have baby weight to add to that.

Jambalaya, even though you aren't ready to start, I have some advice for you!

1. Don't treat the next month like your last hoorah. I think a lot of people end up gaining weight because they plan on starting in the future and binge in the present. So at the very least, try to maintain your current habits and not go crazy like it's your last holiday season EVER!

2. Start TODAY with adding good habits, not even caring about taking away any of the bad food or lack of exercise for now. Things like: start drinking at least eight glasses of water, eat four different vegetables every day, take a multivitamin... think of some easy healthy habits to ADD to your life, and work on the subtracting bad habits later when you are able.

 

[mochiko42]

Sign me up too.. My goal this year was to eat better and lose some weight but it fell by the wayside... It would be great to have some mutual support!!!

 

[manderz]

I"m in! I've been making some changes already. I'm 5'7', and also just into the obese category. I have been working hard for a couple of months, changing my diet and working out 5-6 times a week, and I'm down 18 pounds already. I have 62 more to get to me goal weight, which would put me into the "ideal" weight range.

I've been slacking with exercise, though, because I got a nasty cold I just can't shake, and I haven't worked out in a week and a half. Tomorrow, I'm back at it, for real!

 

[azstonie]

I'm in. I need to lose 50 pounds (seeing that in writing, horrible).

Bad diet but I like exercise.

Sugar is like crack for me. Had it under control until 5 years ago.

I've forgotten what to eat, basically. Food seems so complicated now. I'm lost. Fortunately we have whole foods here, trader Joe's too. Ilander thank you for the specifics. I saw a nutritionist at Mayo Clinic 2 years ago who gave me the food pyramid!!!! So mad about that still!!!!

 

[TooPatient]

Would LOVE to join in the support here!

I am about 5'3"-5'4" (depending on the assistant who measures me) and weighed myself last week to be 228 pounds

Honestly, the reason I weighed myself is because I nearly passed out on Friday. I am 99% sure I have blood sugar issues due to my weight but it has never been this bad. DH was ready to take me to the emergency room as my lips had lost all color and my eyes had black circles around them. I purchased a blood sugar monitor (still need the test solution and strips from the pharmacist) so I can get an idea of where I am. Will follow up with the doctor if I have to otherwise will monitor myself along with getting serious about this weight loss.

We have a great exercise group that meets for an hour every day but the last couple of days it has been just us as people have lots going on in life right now.

The good news is that I weighed myself yesterday and again this morning and am down to 226. Heading in the right direction!


DH is also working to lose weight. He is 5'11" - 6'0" and currently 248 pounds.


We are trying to accomplish this in a slow but steady way. Making sustainable exercise and diet changes.





Thanks for starting this! I hope we can all stick with it and support each other!
Good luck to all!

.
Not to scare you, but if you feel like you were going to pass out and your lips lost all color you should see your doctor asap. It could be something very serious. The reason I am here today is that I listened to my body that something was not right and went to the ER.

I likely will see my doctor for this. I've had similar stuff but less severe so am pretty sure it is blood sugar. Most of the time, I do just fine so long as I eat carefully (not have several cookies...) but it is clear I need to do something differently. What I'm doing now is not working!

I convinced DH that it would be beneficial to track my blood sugar for a little bit and take some actual information to the doctor rather than just walking in and having her start from scratch. He's okay with that for now but has warned me that if I get anywhere near that again he'll be hauling me to the emergency room immediately.

 

[TooPatient]

Comfort food choices I made a bit healthier today:

Eggs & hash browns:
Fewer hash browns but toss in bell peppers, scallions, etc to fill out. Serve with fresh sliced tomatoes.
Still important to keep portions under control, but it helps! (I realized this morning that I had been making about 3 times as much as I should for 2 people to eat )

Beef burgundy:
Leaner beef trimmed carefully. Homemade stock. LOTS of veggies -- 3 varieties of mushrooms, as many carrots as beef, a bunch of celery, lots of peas, a few (2 for entire pot that made 9 servings) potatoes. (picture a bowl of carrots & peas & mushrooms with some beef but it still had that spectacular flavor I was after!)
Served with a slice of whole grain bread instead of DH's favorite white pasta.



(With careful measuring and all the veggie substitutions, I was able to eat this plus breakfast and still come in at my 1200 calories SparkPeople had me aiming for -- and best of all, I wasn't hungry!)

 

[LLJsmom]

Comfort food choices I made a bit healthier today:

Eggs & hash browns:
Fewer hash browns but toss in bell peppers, scallions, etc to fill out. Serve with fresh sliced tomatoes.
Still important to keep portions under control, but it helps! (I realized this morning that I had been making about 3 times as much as I should for 2 people to eat )

Beef burgundy:
Leaner beef trimmed carefully. Homemade stock. LOTS of veggies -- 3 varieties of mushrooms, as many carrots as beef, a bunch of celery, lots of peas, a few (2 for entire pot that made 9 servings) potatoes. (picture a bowl of carrots & peas & mushrooms with some beef but it still had that spectacular flavor I was after!)
Served with a slice of whole grain bread instead of DH's favorite white pasta.



(With careful measuring and all the veggie substitutions, I was able to eat this plus breakfast and still come in at my 1200 calories SparkPeople had me aiming for -- and best of all, I wasn't hungry!)

Good for you TooPatient! Skipping the white pasta. Starts with small changes. Watch out though. 1200 may be too few calories. I'm 5'2 and try to stay above 1600. If you're not eating enough, your body might be going into starvation mode and won't relinquish the body fat. It thinks it needs it!

 

[distracts]

Jambalaya - my husband is also dealing with plantar fascitis from weight. It looks no fun. Seconding the KT tape rec.

I've lost almost down to my goal weight (or, well, I've met my initial goal and am now working on my stretch goal), and need to work on exercise now. What I've been doing is just 15 minutes 3 times a week at home - not even anything like a workout tape, literally I just put on music and jam. Athletically. To get the cardio in. It's VERY FUN and doesn't feel like exercise, but it's easy to step up to every day or slowly increase the time. It's always been my go-to "ease into exercise" tactic.

Woofmama - PILATES IS THE BEST. *claws face off from excitement* I am trying to get fit enough to go back to my pilates class. I go during the day and everyone else there is like a retired 75-year-old who could kick the ass of MMA fighters or something, like, idek how they are so in shape but I think once they retired they just go to the gym all day or something.

 

[LLJsmom]

Wow, it's so awesome that so many people are motivated to make some very important and necessary changes. You are all strong and on your way.

So I know no one asked, but I will share anyway what worked for me. Hope no one is offended. I was 5'2 and 110 pounds when I got pregnant, and gained 54 pounds of baby weight, of which 6 pounds was actual baby. I just got depressed during pregnancy and ate everything all day long. Never exercised. Was on bed rest for the last 2 months. My cholesterol was 289. Anyway, after I gave birth I discovered (to my horror) that the weight was not just going to dissolve away. I was in my early 30s and up until that time, I could eat whatever, and stay within + or - 5 pounds, without exercise. Not any longer. Not seeing the weight just disappear on it's own freaked me out.

So this is what I did. Keep in mind that I was and still am a really big eater. I didn't change how much I ate, just what I ate. And I was really diligent with keeping to the food changes. I am very type A. It's either all or nothing.

Cut out anything white. White rice, bread, pasta. I am a huge rice eater, 2-3 bowls a night. Changed it over to all brown, tons of fiber, cleaned out the plumbing. It made a huge difference. Whole wheat pasta if I was having any. Whole wheat bread, and only ones with six or less ingredients that I could pronounce, water, salt, yeast, unbleached whole wheat flour, and a couple other items.

Cut out sugars - dessert, ice cream, cereals, candy
Added lots of fruit to kill sugar cravings. Watch out for high sugar fruits, like grapes, pineapples and certain others. I forget. Ate tons of apples 2-3 a day, drinking water at the same time. Yeah, I felt bloated, but again, another plumbing cleaner, like no other.

Cut out fatty dairy - butter, cheeses, only non-fat milk, low fat yogurt

Went crazy on veggies - Would saute 1-2 pounds of broccoli, with light olive oil, garlic and salt, and eat it all in one sitting. Cause I was hungry. Carrots, celery, chinese broccoli. I generally skipped salads because of the fat in the dressing, and non-fat dressing just tasted weird to me.

Meat - ate all kinds of meat, but just super lean cuts. Peeled skin off chicken, only super lean cuts of pork and beef, and fish.

Cut out anything deep fried.

Cut out all fast food and junk food, chips, packaged stuff.

Brought my own food with me everywhere. Two apples in my bag, low fat string cheese, all the time so I wouldn't buy packaged food.

Drank tons of hot water, 8-9 cups a day, peeing all the time.

Was eating every 2-3 hours, which resulted in 6-7 meals a day, three big ones and 3-4 "snacks". Basically I ate whenever I was hungry.

I added working out 3 times a week, light cardio that included just light weights, for just an hour. Squats, lunges, working major muscle groups, nothing too crazy, but it was hard for me. This was the first time in my life I felt I needed to work out on a regular basis.

I dropped 50-55 pounds in about six months. Now I have different issues, but following the food changes above helped me lose the weight from pregnancy.

I apologize if this was too long. But, I hope bits and pieces of this can help someone.

 

[mochiko42]

Wow, it's so awesome that so many people are motivated to make some very important and necessary changes. You are all strong and on your way.

So I know no one asked, but I will share anyway what worked for me. Hope no one is offended. I was 5'2 and 110 pounds when I got pregnant, and gained 54 pounds of baby weight, of which 6 pounds was actual baby. I just got depressed during pregnancy and ate everything all day long. Never exercised. Was on bed rest for the last 2 months. My cholesterol was 289. Anyway, after I gave birth I discovered (to my horror) that the weight was not just going to dissolve away. I was in my early 30s and up until that time, I could eat whatever, and stay within + or - 5 pounds, without exercise. Not any longer. Not seeing the weight just disappear on it's own freaked me out.

So this is what I did. Keep in mind that I was and still am a really big eater. I didn't change how much I ate, just what I ate. And I was really diligent with keeping to the food changes. I am very type A. It's either all or nothing.

Cut out anything white. White rice, bread, pasta. I am a huge rice eater, 2-3 bowls a night. Changed it over to all brown, tons of fiber, cleaned out the plumbing. It made a huge difference. Whole wheat pasta if I was having any. Whole wheat bread, and only ones with six or less ingredients that I could pronounce, water, salt, yeast, unbleached whole wheat flour, and a couple other items.

Cut out sugars - dessert, ice cream, cereals, candy
Added lots of fruit to kill sugar cravings. Watch out for high sugar fruits, like grapes, pineapples and certain others. I forget. Ate tons of apples 2-3 a day, drinking water at the same time. Yeah, I felt bloated, but again, another plumbing cleaner, like no other.

Cut out fatty dairy - butter, cheeses, only non-fat milk, low fat yogurt

Went crazy on veggies - Would saute 1-2 pounds of broccoli, with light olive oil, garlic and salt, and eat it all in one sitting. Cause I was hungry. Carrots, celery, chinese broccoli. I generally skipped salads because of the fat in the dressing, and non-fat dressing just tasted weird to me.

Meat - ate all kinds of meat, but just super lean cuts. Peeled skin off chicken, only super lean cuts of pork and beef, and fish.

Cut out anything deep fried.

Cut out all fast food and junk food, chips, packaged stuff.

Brought my own food with me everywhere. Two apples in my bag, low fat string cheese, all the time so I wouldn't buy packaged food.

Drank tons of hot water, 8-9 cups a day, peeing all the time.

Was eating every 2-3 hours, which resulted in 6-7 meals a day, three big ones and 3-4 "snacks". Basically I ate whenever I was hungry.

I added working out 3 times a week, light cardio that included just light weights, for just an hour. Squats, lunges, working major muscle groups, nothing too crazy, but it was hard for me. This was the first time in my life I felt I needed to work out on a regular basis.

I dropped 50-55 pounds in about six months. Now I have different issues, but following the food changes above helped me lose the weight from pregnancy.

I apologize if this was too long. But, I hope bits and pieces of this can help someone.

THANK YOU for sharing this. I think it's very helpful!!
Aww, I love white rice.. my comfort food is tamagokake gohan (egg with rice and shoyu).. I'm glad you found that wholewheat made a difference vs white. I tried it for a while but to me it seemed that the wholewheat bread they sell around here is just regular white bread but with a sprinkling of wholewheat flour to color it...

I think for the new year I will try to cut out white foods and sugar. I've already cut out most sugary drinks - I usually take a soda water with lime, black coffee, or tea with milk only. My weakness is for a nice cocktail or beer once in a while though.

I live in a big city where it's so easy to eat out and to eat late at night. Most of the time I feel very unhealthy and just yuck..
On the plus side I don't own a car and walk a lot, maybe 2-3 km a day just taking the subway to/from work. It's not the same as doing 10km on the treadmill, I know.

I've tried so many different diets, like cutting out carbs, South Beach, Atkins etc but I can never stick to it... sigh.

 

[missy]

Jambalaya - my husband is also dealing with plantar fascitis from weight. It looks no fun. Seconding the KT tape rec.

I've lost almost down to my goal weight (or, well, I've met my initial goal and am now working on my stretch goal), and need to work on exercise now. What I've been doing is just 15 minutes 3 times a week at home - not even anything like a workout tape, literally I just put on music and jam. Athletically. To get the cardio in. It's VERY FUN and doesn't feel like exercise, but it's easy to step up to every day or slowly increase the time. It's always been my go-to "ease into exercise" tactic.

Woofmama - PILATES IS THE BEST. *claws face off from excitement* I am trying to get fit enough to go back to my pilates class. I go during the day and everyone else there is like a retired 75-year-old who could kick the a$$ of MMA fighters or something, like, idek how they are so in shape but I think once they retired they just go to the gym all day or something.

I will second this. I am new to Pilates but so far I love it. It's a great way to build muscle and strength and flexibility.

 

[TooPatient]

Comfort food choices I made a bit healthier today:

Eggs & hash browns:
Fewer hash browns but toss in bell peppers, scallions, etc to fill out. Serve with fresh sliced tomatoes.
Still important to keep portions under control, but it helps! (I realized this morning that I had been making about 3 times as much as I should for 2 people to eat )

Beef burgundy:
Leaner beef trimmed carefully. Homemade stock. LOTS of veggies -- 3 varieties of mushrooms, as many carrots as beef, a bunch of celery, lots of peas, a few (2 for entire pot that made 9 servings) potatoes. (picture a bowl of carrots & peas & mushrooms with some beef but it still had that spectacular flavor I was after!)
Served with a slice of whole grain bread instead of DH's favorite white pasta.



(With careful measuring and all the veggie substitutions, I was able to eat this plus breakfast and still come in at my 1200 calories SparkPeople had me aiming for -- and best of all, I wasn't hungry!)

Good for you TooPatient! Skipping the white pasta. Starts with small changes. Watch out though. 1200 may be too few calories. I'm 5'2 and try to stay above 1600. If you're not eating enough, your body might be going into starvation mode and won't relinquish the body fat. It thinks it needs it!

Thanks for the warning. I hadn't realized that until last year so had at one point tried to lose by cutting calories way back. It seems to be a common thing to not know as I've heard a lot of people around school try to diet by eating super low calorie diets.

I set my SparkPeople account to base my nutrition for the day on the "base range" and then add as I enter my exercise. That 1240 calories is only okay on a day where I do no exercise at all. It quickly comes up to 1400 or even 1800 (or more) as I exercise during the day. I've gotten to be pretty careful at adding in the 1/4 mile here and there I do during the day because I don't want to underestimate and short my body of the nutrients and calories it needs.

 

[woofmama]

Jambalaya - my husband is also dealing with plantar fascitis from weight. It looks no fun. Seconding the KT tape rec.

I've lost almost down to my goal weight (or, well, I've met my initial goal and am now working on my stretch goal), and need to work on exercise now. What I've been doing is just 15 minutes 3 times a week at home - not even anything like a workout tape, literally I just put on music and jam. Athletically. To get the cardio in. It's VERY FUN and doesn't feel like exercise, but it's easy to step up to every day or slowly increase the time. It's always been my go-to "ease into exercise" tactic.

Woofmama - PILATES IS THE BEST. *claws face off from excitement* I am trying to get fit enough to go back to my pilates class. I go during the day and everyone else there is like a retired 75-year-old who could kick the a$$ of MMA fighters or something, like, idek how they are so in shape but I think once they retired they just go to the gym all day or something.

I will second this. I am new to Pilates but so far I love it. It's a great way to build muscle and strength and flexibility.

So Distracts do ya love pilates? Thanks for the feedback, I'm dying to try it but a bit nervous from you saying that you're trying to get fit enough to go to class So does that mean 50 yr old completely out of shape me should try to drop more weight before signing up?
I want to be one of those MMA fighter women! I was totally in that kind of shape a few years ago from weight training.

Missy are you taking classes or doing an at home tape?