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Putting myself out there...

Asscherhalo_lover

Ideal_Rock
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Hi everyone!

I'm going to be on a long journey here and I have no one else to talk to about this besides my husband. My husband is great and very supportive but I just need other people who may have been through this or who are going through this to talk to!

When I was in my childhood I ate badly (what Mom gave me) but I was a competitive figure skater and was very active. I was never skinny but I was within a healthy range and I was quite fit from all of the skating. When I was 12 my Father passed away and within in a year I had to stop skating for financial reasons. My Mother also had to work two jobs after that which effectively left me home alone from when I went to school to about 8-10pm depending on the night. Fast food became my best friend.

From that age I became a convenience eater. I drove up to a window and got my food. Done. I also worked from that age at least 20 hours a week during high school and full time while I went to college full time. My bad food patterns never broke. I didn't own a scale and I didn't want to know the number. I knew I had been steadily gaining a massive amount of weight since Junior High School. The first time I really weighed myself since high school was after my honeymoon when I was 22 years old. I weighed 296 lbs and I'm about 5'5". I literally could not believe it! I was in shock and pretty horrified by it, I didn't think I was that heavy, I didn't feel that heavy, I knew it was bad but I didn't think it was that bad. Within a year, through a very changed diet, I had gotten down to 239 lbs. I felt pretty accomplished. Then I started my first year of teaching and fell right back into my old bad habits. I gained almost all of it back within a year which brings me to now.

My best friend had also struggled with her weight for her entire life. She has done Jenny Craig and lost a ton, and gained it all back, Weight Watchers and lost a ton and gained it all back, she even had a lap band put in to have it removed about a year and a half later, weighing more than when she had it put in. I talked to her about me getting back on the wagon, for good, and all she said to me was "I can't talk about this weight stuff". I had always been there for her so it was quite a sting.

I've been back on my healthy wagon for 8 days and have gone down to 278 from 290. I know it's the initial change shock and water weight and that it will not come off this quickly for the end. Mainly I'm posting here to join a community of people I can talk to about the struggles I know I will encounter during this.

So what I'm doing: My diet consists of a lot of different things, it' much more varied than it was the first time around so I'm hoping that will help me out. I basically eat a small breakfast, small lunch, mid-day snack, dinner, and a desert. If I feel like I'm starving I'll eat a small something to keep it going. I do keep a food journal which I didn't do before and I already really like it. I plan on updating weekly and if anyone has any questions for me at all please ask! I do better when I have people to talk to.

Thanks!
 

Blackpaw

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Hi Asscherhalo :wavey: i think its great you're doing this , congrats on taking the first step! im afraid im not too great with diets myself, so ill leave it to other folks for tips on that...but can i suggest swimming? its low impact so a good place to start, and regular exercise makes you feel great, and is all part of the healthier lifestyle that you want for yourself. Not to mention it can help your body in terms of how the weight comes off KWIM? that is as you lose the weight, the exercise should help minimise signs of it, stretch marks etc (correct me if im wrong please folks!)...

good luck and lots of {{{{DUST}}}} for you!!
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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Thanks so much! I'm actually thinking of joining a local Curves. I do a good amount of walking and biking with DH, and I go up and down 7 flights of stairs several times a day at work, hate those, lol! Swimming for me just gets to boring, I do it for fun but I couldn't imagine doing it to try and workout. I'm going for a bike ride after dinner, I'll see how far I get!
 

Glitz

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Hello :wavey:

I actually just found this section of PS today! I'm very much in the same situation that you're in right now, I've been with my boyfriend for 5 years and in that time have gained 70lbs to my 5'5" body. I had always struggled with weight, eating badly and not working out. There was a time during college where I got serious about my health, would work out 5 days a week and eat moderate portions, during that time I went from 165-130. I was very happy at 130 and maintained that weight for about a year and a half until I met the BF.

I've been keeping a food journal for almost a month now, it's actually an app on my iPhone called MyFitnessPal. I also signed up for 2 months of an all girls workout class, since I paid a lot for this I feel like I have to go, plus working out with the group makes it more fun, everyone there is very supportive and we all push each other. Another reason I go is because I know there are people expecting to see me there, maybe make a similar commitment to a class. Pre-planning my food also helps a TON, it's when I don't pack a lunch or enough that I'll be tempted to go to fast food places. So make sure that you always have stuff with you that's healthy to eat and that you like to eat, don't bring apples if you don't like them! I also heard that creating a vision board will help, only use positive images and words. My mom actually did weight watchers years ago and lost close to 60lbs, she was strict with her food and went for very long walks (3 hours), but she never stepped foot into a gym, so it is possible to go that route. But honestly for me, I love working up a good sweat. I've learned that weight loss and a healthy body is a way of life, not just something you can accomplish and forget about. Get into the mindset that this is the new you know, you're a healthy and beautiful woman who treats their body as a temple.

Good luck, we can do this ... we are doing it!
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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Thanks Glitz n Glam! I know what you mean about needing to plan the food. I have a fridge in my classroom and I'm going to stash some goodies in there, hummus & wasa rye for when I get snacky! I also have stocked up my home with pretty much only healthy foods. I have managed to make it 8 days already with out any type of fast food or big desserts which are my biggest issues. The first few days were super hard and I was really cranky and I had the hungry headaches. Now that it's been over a week I feel like I have begun to stabilize a little. I went out to dinner with the hubs and watched him eat a really yummy burger & fries without even wanting it. I stuck with my asparagus & 7 oz sirloin just fine. I also managed not to get dessert, instead when I get home I have one of those jello mousse cups, they're not bad!

On my last time around I did my once a week "cheat" day and I found that it would actually get me into craving my bad stuff all over again. I'm not doing that this time. I would really overindulge on those days and then I just felt like what the hell I already messed it up! This time I'm keeping it in check. I know my next encounter with unhealthy food will be my hubs b-day on Sept 6. We're going to an ale-house and it will be wing night! My plan is to eat before I go and keep it to one beer and five wings max.

I never felt like I really needed, not just wanted but needed, to really do it before so I think I'll be good. I managed to quit smoking a few months ago cold turkey and I'm applying the same energy and mantra to this.

Thanks for all the support and feel free to share or ask me anything! I'm an open book!
 

marcy

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Hi Asscherhalo lover. Congratulations for starting on this long (actually lifelong) journey. I was up to at least 350 pounds at one point and was so unhealthy I was worried about dying. That is where my motivation came from. I am very happy to hear your husband is being supportive. That makes a big difference. Eating several small meals or snacks a day really helps to keep me from getting too hungry. I also try to eat relatively normal food just watch my portion control. I have a food scale which works great because I want to get every morsel of food I can. Keeping a journal is a wonderful idea. It helps keep me honest anyway. I find that keeping baggies of raw veggies in the frig gives me something to reach for without guilt when I am hungry. I was unable to do much of anything at first exercise wise but started walking a bit further and further as time went by then started to add stretching and some basic exercises as I went along.

Sparkpeople.com is a great place for support, suggestions and a place to track your food and exercise.

I won't lie to you; it is rough and some days are more difficult than others. I found working towards small goals was easier because the overall total I had to loose was so overwhelming. I really struggle to keep the weight off now too. I have gained some of it back but each and every day I get up and try again.

I will be glad to help or answer any questions you might have.

Good luck. Keep us updated.
Marcy
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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Thanks for the support Marcy! Last night me and the hubs managed a 2 mile decently paced bike ride followed by a cool down walk. Tonight we're going to try and stretch it out more, we like going at night since it's so damn hot here during the day! I'm still planning on joining curves, once my school year gets going I'll be heading over! Has anyone had any success with curves? Do you like the environment?

Thanks!
 

Dreamer_D

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Good for you for taking the steps you have taken so far!

I too struggle with my weight. I was not overweight as a teen but always thought I was :rolleyes: and when I started university I basically wanted to stop obsessing about my weight and just let my body find "its natural set point". HA! I think my body's natural set point is about 500lbs. I did find a set point of sorts around 200lbs, where I could eat crap and no excercise and maintain that weight.

I maintained that weight for years and then in my early 20s met a man who was very weight conscious and that external motivation did work and I lost 35lbs, which was a lot for my fram and put me at a weight that was managable. To maintain, though, I had to work out 5 days a week and keep a food diary. When I lost weight that time I saw a nutritionist and it was essential. I kept that weight off for almost 3 years.

When I broke up with that boyfriend I again rejected the notion of obsessing over my weight, he was a douche and his focus on my body and wanting me to be thinner really messed with my head. Met my current husband and gained all the weight back. Unconditional love will do that for you ;)) Then I got pregnant and gained 60lbs. It took so long to lose is, and after 14 months I was still hanging on to 6lbs.

And that brings us up to about 10 weeks ago. Both DH and I decided enough was enough, we both need to lost about 40 lbs, and so we joined weight watchers and started running together. Now we run 16km per week and have lost 11lbs each in 10 weeks! My main motivation at this point is trying to reach a goal weight before getting pregnant again -- I don't wait to weight what I did when I gave birth and am hoping it means a better pregnancy and recovery. We are committed to this lifestyle change for our son and future children, because we want them to grow up in a healthy active household. This is a lifelong change for us, and doing it together hopefully means we will stick to it.

The biggest epiphanies I have had about weight loss and my body are:

1) To maintain a healthy weight I have to work out HARD 4-5 days a week. No ifs ands or buts. When I stopped working out like that I gained. So if you can find an activity that you enjoy and that you can do with your husband it is really the best thing. We chose running because we have close friends who are very fit as a family and running is what they do. It is free, you can do it anywhere, you can take the kids if you have a jogging stroller, and we can do it together. It has taken 6 months for us to work from not being able to run more than 1 minute to running as much as we do, but it has been so worth it.

2) To maintain a healthy weight I have to keep a food diary. This keeps you accountable. It is essential to LOSING the weight but even more essential to keeping it off. When I stopped keeping a food diary I gained.

3) I need support and structure. The first time I lost I saw a nutritionsit, this time I am doing weight watchers online and we both love it.

4) It is not a diet, it is a change in lifestyle. You can never go back to your old habits if you want to stay healthy. It needs to be a permanent life change.

Good luck! Taking that first step is half the battle.
 

Dreamer_D

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Oh, and I wanted to add that I think that for me, I needed to change my whole way of thinking about food, my whole relationship with food, to really be successful. If you are really overweight, then it means that something is off in how you think about food and feel about food and the role food plays in your daily emotional life. Thinking a lot about this and trying to self-reflect has been really helpful for me.

Also, being very aware of the portions that healthy people eat. When a heavy person says, "I don't eat that much", and we have all said it, it is BS. Thermodynamics is not a mystery -- if you are heavy you eat too much. When I started really watching the portions that my thinner friends ate, this helped put it into perspective.

And finally, accepting that it is just not fair that some people can apparently eat what they like and be thin, whereas I cannot. It is just. not. fair. but thems the breaks, kid. That is what I tell myself.
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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Dreamer_D said:
Oh, and I wanted to add that I think that for me, I needed to change my whole way of thinking about food, my whole relationship with food, to really be successful. If you are really overweight, then it means that something is off in how you think about food and feel about food and the role food plays in your daily emotional life. Thinking a lot about this and trying to self-reflect has been really helpful for me.

Also, being very aware of the portions that healthy people eat. When a heavy person says, "I don't eat that much", and we have all said it, it is BS. Thermodynamics is not a mystery -- if you are heavy you eat too much. When I started really watching the portions that my thinner friends ate, this helped put it into perspective.

And finally, accepting that it is just not fair that some people can apparently eat what they like and be thin, whereas I cannot. It is just. not. fair. but thems the breaks, kid. That is what I tell myself.

Thanks Dreamer D! The colored portion is definitely me! I'm not really an emotional eater, if I get upset I cry, I don't go to food. I just honestly ate way to much of all crap food. I was raised on the "YOU BETTER FINISH YOUR PLATE" mentality and it always stuck with me. All I ate growing up was out of box, fried, microwaved...I can't even tell you how few vegetables I have ever even tried! I never saw a salad growing up and I'm having a lot of trouble finding healthy foods I like and then figuring out how to properly prepare them! I really need someone to teach me how to cook veggies and I feel like I need to try them all since I never have.

Does anyone have a good cookbook suggestion for this kind of thing?

Sofar the one veggie I LOVE is asparagus. It's crunchy but tender and doesn't really have much flavor, lol. I know I don't really like sweet veggies like peas and I HATE spinach, I like it raw but once it's cooked and mushy just bleh! I'm pretty good at soups, if it's chopped up small enough and in a soup I'll usually eat it. I'm good with whole grains, I eat only whole grains, brown rice, whole grain cous cous, quinoa, and kashi. I think I'm good with chicken, only the boneless skinless grilled variety, I'll eat a small piece of red meat about once a week, about 8oz tops, and I also use ground turkey a lot. I use it anywhere I would use ground beef.

I'm also concerned about fruit. I like some fruit, green apples, green grapes. But I'm worried with fruit that I'll just end up eating a bunch of sugar. I guess I really should check with my insurance plan about seeing a nutritionist. I really want to do this right.

Thanks again!
 

Dreamer_D

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How about a cooking class? Fun and informative.

And I think a nutritionist sounds like a really good idea if you can swing it. I paid out of pocket and it was not pricey. About $80 per session and I saw her once a week for the first 2-3 weeks then only about 2-3 more times over the following 4 months or so. So not a big expense really.
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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The hubs and I have always wanted to take cooking classes together. Where on Earth do you find cooking classes? lol...I guess I'll get googling!
 

Haven

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Asscherhalo_lover said:
The hubs and I have always wanted to take cooking classes together. Where on Earth do you find cooking classes? lol...I guess I'll get googling!
Your local community college might have cooking classes. You can also check out your local high schools, they often have continuing education classes for adults.
 

kelpie

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I was just researching how I can lose weight today since I've got 40 days until my wedding and really hope I can drop a few or ten pounds. They were saying I pound of fat = 3500 calories so to lose 1 pound a week you need something like a 500 cal a day deficit. This is a lot more achievable if 250 if is deducted from your diet and 250 is burned through exercise instead of relying all on diet. So the curves and the cardio is a great idea.

For me I've always been active but I never lost weight until I was PUSHING PUSHING PUSHING myself in cardio, not just sticking with what I felt was achievable. I also think adding fiber and water to your body helps and tea in particular curbs appetite. I get the plain benefiber and mix it with drinks. I can not tell it's there at all. I've lost 25 pounds but the last 10 or so I'd like to lose is proving very stubborn. Good luck to you!
 

Haven

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Asscherhalo, I just wanted to chime in with more support! :wavey:

I lost about 30 lbs in college, all of which I originally gained by eating pizza and drinking beer far more often than any one person should do either. Like you, I was an athlete in high school, so when I went to college and stopped playing competitive sports my ability to eat whatever I wanted flew right out of the window.

You've gotten excellent advice already, so sorry if I repeat anything, here. The things that work best for me are:

- Having a workout buddy.
- Having a healthy food buddy. (It sounds like you have a great ally in your husband already!)
- Finding activities that you truly enjoy. If you find that you like bicycling, I hope it works as well for you as it has for me. The pounds feel like they melt right off of me when I bicycle regularly, it's amazing. (I used to go to a 45 minute class once or twice a week at Bally, and it was great. When it's nice enough here, DH and I bike together, which is wonderful.)
- Kickstarting my new healthy lifestyle. I know different things work for different people, so this isn't for everyone, but whenever I need to get back into healthy gear, I kick it off by going full out. For me, that means I usually do a round of Bill Phillip's Body-for-Life program, which is like a modified bodybuilder's workout and eating regimen. For me, it helps me focus and get back into healthy mode. I know others need to ease into it, so this is just what works for me.
- That being said, the little things make a big difference. I've made minor changes to my habits and diet over the years, and they've all made big differences in either how I feel, look, or in my motivation. (Example: I quit drinking soda, and lost at least 5 lbs.)

Whatever you do, pay attention to your body and don't overtrain and injure yourself.

Good luck!
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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Thanks for all of the support ladies! I checked out cooking classes and all my town offers is a strawberry class (had a big chuckle with that one) and our community college offers NOTHING culinary at all. The only cooking school I found around here is about $120 per class so that's a bit out of the question! I think I'm just going to dive into some cookbooks and go at it!

I feel you on going hardcore Haven, I have stuck to this with no deviations pretty well already. The only part I still have to figure out is going to a gym since the weather here is pretty unpredictable. I think I would also be most comfortable in a women only gym. I called the local curves today and they didn't sound all to pleasant on the phone. I'm going to check out what other options are available.

Thanks again!
 

Haven

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Bummer about the lack of cooking classes! We have a lot of restaurants around here that offer cooking classes, so I'd keep an eye out for opportunities in restaurants, if I were you.

It sounds like you are doing awesome already, so keep it up! I can't wait to hear about your progress!
 

GliderPoss

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Firstly congrats on getting started and I hope you get lots of ideas and support here on PS! :appl:

What the others have suggested sound like excellent ideas!

Mainly - excercise. Gotta work off more than you put in each day. Start gently and work your way up. Bike riding is good but power walking and using a cross-trainer are better. Just get your body moving! Hell, I dance about when I'm doing the house cleaning and it all helps. :lol: I have just started using the gym myself and suprisingly I love it. I go with a friend when there are few other people around and we put on some fun music and sweat it out together! She has a great body and that is my motivation to look more like her. When hubby returns from a month away (for work) I'd like to suprise him with no muffin top... :lol: Pick your personal motivation and keep it in mind at all times.

Food - what you've said so far sounds wise. Healthy foods in controlled portions. Use fruit as your "dessert". I also have a shocking sweet tooth and struggle not to finish a meal without something sweet so I use low-fat natural yogurt and fruit salad. Try keep chewing gum with you at all times and drink plenty of water to control cravings. Apparently often humans mistake thirst for hunger. :read: Keeping a food diary is also a wonderful way to change your food habits.

Keep up the good work and keep us posted on your progress. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!! :bigsmile:
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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Hey everyone! I had a good week, stuck with my healthy eating and either rode bike or was setting up my classroom (which is 7 big flights of stairs up!) and I'm down to 273.8! My real test will be seeing how I am able to keep it up once school starts again, I have to get really good at making my lunch at night!

One other benefit I have noticed, we are spending a lot less money now that we don't really go out to eat often or pick food up for lunch! Yay for that!
 

Haven

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Hey Asscher!

I wanted to stop in and see how you were doing--sounds like you're doing great! I'm a teacher too, and packing my lunch the night before is key for me, as well.

I just saw my sister and her fiance for the first time in two months (she lives out of state :(( ) and they have lost a ton of weight by working out three days a week and keeping a food diary in their iPhones. It was so inspiring to see them! The iPhone app adjusts their caloric needs as their weight changes, AND it takes exercise into account, so it's very cool. If you have an iPhone you should check it out! I don't have one, but it seems like it's been a huge motivator for them to have to record all their daily meals.

Anyway, I hope you're doing well! And have a GREAT start to the school year!
 

elrohwen

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Everyone has given you such great advice and I wanted to stop in and say I really admire you - you have a great attitude and I'm so excited for you!

I've gone up and down by 15-20lbs in my life and had to lose it a few times - I'm currently in weight loss mode and I've learned a lot about myself during these periods. What seems to work for may people does not work for me, so I thought I'd share some of my tips just in case they might be helpful to you.

- not too much variety: So many diet plans seem to focus on variety, but I find the more variety I have, the more I tend to eat. If I keep eating new and delicious things I want to eat large portions of them. When I eat the same things all the time, I don't have that urge. The times I have successfully lost weight I have had the same breakfast every day (usually just cereal), the same lunch (currently doing the pb&j, or chicken salad, with occasional small portions of leftovers to break it up), and I rotate between the same dinners just about every week. I don't feel the need to overindulge on my delicious dinner when I know that I can have that same delicious dinner next week. I'm also one of those people who has no problem eating the same thing day-to-day, so this won't work for everyone, but it works wonders for me. I've found it's the key to dieting for me.

- focus on diet, forget about exercise: I lose weight by diet, not exercise. Not that exercise isn't important and great, but whenever I try to count exercise as "calories burned" I end up overeating and completely undoing the effects. I need to eat as if I'm not exercising, then exercise on the side and hope I get some benefits. I also just do not like working out, and never will, so this frees me from forcing myself to go to the gym multiple times a week. If I go three times this week, great! If I don't go at all, oh well. One week I might lose more and the next I'll lose less, but I'll keep losing. When I count too much on the exercise, I tend to just stay level.

- no snacking: I know there's all of that advice to eat lots of small meals, but that one doesn't work for me either. The more often I eat, the more often my body seems to want food. I do much better by decreasing my portion sizes gradually until my body doesn't feel hungry anymore, and not snacking unless I really really need to. Instead of a snack, I'll try tea to get rid of the hunger pangs. Sure you'll feel hunger at first when you cut back portions, but it's just your body adjusting - you're not really starving yourself. When I let myself snack, I make up all of those calories that I gave up by reducing portions and I never really get anywhere. I guess I just like to have a nice decent sized dinner in the evenings, and to be able to have a couple snacks I would have to cut it back to a tiny dinner which wouldn't satisfy me.

Different things work for everyone, but these are the things that I have discovered are key for me and mostly go against the conventional wisdom. Hopefully some of it will help, or at least give you something to think about as you start you journey ::)
 

vc10um

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Hey there Asscher!

I just stepped back into the HL forums yesterday for the first time in about 5 months, so this is the first time I've seen your post. I finally made it through the whole thread and it sounds like you are doing really really well so far in your journey!

I have been where you are. I was on Weight Watchers for the first time in 8th grade. I started at 5'4" and 171 lbs, and finished at 5'5" and 135 lbs, right before freshman year in high school. By my senior year in HS, I was up to 5'7" tall and 195. My mom put me on Medical Weight Loss. Powdered drink mixes and such supplemented with salads. I think I was down to 165 when we ended that one. As soon as I quit that, the enormity of changes about to happen in my life hit me hardore, and I think in 6 months I was back up over 200 lbs. Over the course of college, I would lose weight in the fall (I was in marching band) and then gain it all back and more in the winter, and by the time I received my Bachelor's degree I was at 270 lbs. I started WW (again) and got down to 207 by the time I graduated with my Master's degree the next year. When I moved to DC, I regained about half of what I lost over the course of a little over a year and last spring I was at about 237.

Last spring, I decided to finally make a change and joined MyFoodDiary.com. It's a online food diary where I record everything I eat, as well as all of my exercise. I have trained for 4 half marathons since joining the site, and the FIRST thing I noticed is that exercising made me HUNGRY and if I didn't record what I ate, I would inevitably eat back more calories than I had burned because I was doing 2 things: (1) thinking I burned more calories than I actually did, and (2) justifying the calories with the exercise. Both REALLY dangerous. That's how I actually GAINED weight training for my first half marathon in Fall 2008 (and I think this feeds into Elro's post above about focusing on diet vs. exercise)!!! They also have a forum section where you can get all the advice you ever needed or wanted about food, nutrition, and exercise. Last spring and summer I dropped about 20 lbs and maintained 217 lbs +- 3 lbs all winter. This spring, since really getting back on the food diary horse, training, and focusing on making me the best me I can be for my wedding in June of next year, I'm down to 203.8 lbs and I'm so close to 199.8 I can TASTE it.

So I KNOW you can do it too! You have gotten a lot of great advice and I'll be sure to check in on your progress from time to time!

Best of luck!!!
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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vc10um said:
Hey there Asscher!

I just stepped back into the HL forums yesterday for the first time in about 5 months, so this is the first time I've seen your post. I finally made it through the whole thread and it sounds like you are doing really really well so far in your journey!

I have been where you are. I was on Weight Watchers for the first time in 8th grade. I started at 5'4" and 171 lbs, and finished at 5'5" and 135 lbs, right before freshman year in high school. By my senior year in HS, I was up to 5'7" tall and 195. My mom put me on Medical Weight Loss. Powdered drink mixes and such supplemented with salads. I think I was down to 165 when we ended that one. As soon as I quit that, the enormity of changes about to happen in my life hit me hardore, and I think in 6 months I was back up over 200 lbs. Over the course of college, I would lose weight in the fall (I was in marching band) and then gain it all back and more in the winter, and by the time I received my Bachelor's degree I was at 270 lbs. I started WW (again) and got down to 207 by the time I graduated with my Master's degree the next year. When I moved to DC, I regained about half of what I lost over the course of a little over a year and last spring I was at about 237.

Last spring, I decided to finally make a change and joined MyFoodDiary.com. It's a online food diary where I record everything I eat, as well as all of my exercise. I have trained for 4 half marathons since joining the site, and the FIRST thing I noticed is that exercising made me HUNGRY and if I didn't record what I ate, I would inevitably eat back more calories than I had burned because I was doing 2 things: (1) thinking I burned more calories than I actually did, and (2) justifying the calories with the exercise. Both REALLY dangerous. That's how I actually GAINED weight training for my first half marathon in Fall 2008 (and I think this feeds into Elro's post above about focusing on diet vs. exercise)!!! They also have a forum section where you can get all the advice you ever needed or wanted about food, nutrition, and exercise. Last spring and summer I dropped about 20 lbs and maintained 217 lbs +- 3 lbs all winter. This spring, since really getting back on the food diary horse, training, and focusing on making me the best me I can be for my wedding in June of next year, I'm down to 203.8 lbs and I'm so close to 199.8 I can TASTE it.

So I KNOW you can do it too! You have gotten a lot of great advice and I'll be sure to check in on your progress from time to time!

Best of luck!!!

Thank you so much for this! This is how I feel I am the most! I have been maintaining my food diary. My husband's birthday was last week which lead to a few nights out of some drinking and eating but I did better that I previously would have. The school year started up for me again and I have been super busy. I have been bringing my lunch and breakfast with me to school everyday and I am happy with my progress. I gained a few pounds back during the b-day week but it's all off again, I'm pretty sure it was mostly salt bloating. One thing I have noticed is that I actually feel better with the healthier diet. I have had more energy and I don't feel like I'm crashing during the day until it's time to go to bed. I am not focusing on exercise much right now, just work and diet. I do consider my job exercise though since my classroom is seven big flights of stairs up and we go up and down about 5-6 times a day, lol. It's quite a workout!

Thank you all for your continued support and I'll be sure to update!
 

GliderPoss

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 25, 2008
Messages
2,936
Hey Asscher, just wanted to check in and see how you are going? :wavey:
 

Asscherhalo_lover

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 16, 2007
Messages
5,703
Hey I'm plugging along well! Work and all those stairs are keeping me quite busy! I'm continuing my downward trend and I have made it to 265. I have been really busy and I haven't kept up with the food journal but I have my food down to a routine during the week which has helped things out. The other thing DH and I have done is that we now plan out all of our dinners for the week so we no longer get hat "what are we going to eat?" thing happening which used to mean we would go out for dinner. We have now been managing to only eat out once per week which is saving us a lot of money and calories!
 

PinkTower

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 15, 2009
Messages
1,129
Hey, asscher,
I am really enjoying reading your posts. Can you feel that we are all rooting for you??!!!
 

vc10um

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 22, 2009
Messages
6,006
Asscherhalo_lover said:
Hey I'm plugging along well! Work and all those stairs are keeping me quite busy! I'm continuing my downward trend and I have made it to 265. I have been really busy and I haven't kept up with the food journal but I have my food down to a routine during the week which has helped things out. The other thing DH and I have done is that we now plan out all of our dinners for the week so we no longer get hat "what are we going to eat?" thing happening which used to mean we would go out for dinner. We have now been managing to only eat out once per week which is saving us a lot of money and calories!

Congratulations on all your progress so far!!! And congratulations on becoming a planner. Trips to the grocery store are so much shorter and less tempting when you have a list, aren't they? I find that I go for exactly what I need, perhaps linger in the produce area to see if anything looks especially ripe and delicious, and then continue on my way to the checkout. No unnecessary loitering in the bakery or through many of the processed food aisles!
 

Asscherhalo_lover

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 16, 2007
Messages
5,703
Hi everyone!

I just wanted to give some updating! My hubby and I fell off the wagon during the holidays and stayed the same for awhile. We didn't gain any weight but we didn't lose any either. Just a couple of weeks ago we jump started our effort again. Not eating out, eating healthy, planning meals. We also got EA sports Active 2 for our PS3 which has been great. In just a couple of weeks I have lost over 8lbs and gotten much more comfy with my pants which has been nice! I just wanted to let you all know that I haven't given up and that I'm still going!

Down to 258!
 

vc10um

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 22, 2009
Messages
6,006
Way to go, Asscher!!! :D Glad to hear things are going so well for you and hubs!

I fell of the wagon a bit around the holidays as well...but I'm back on the train now, just a little over 4 months until my wedding!
 

Stephan

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 13, 2003
Messages
2,917
I just lost 90lbs, and I confirm: diet did it, exercise didn't impact my weight loss that much.

Vegetables, vegetables, ... did I say vegetables?
My fav is broccoli. I love you broccoli.
I avoid cereals (bread, white rice, ...).
But at breakfast, I eat oatmeal with kefir and a fruit.
I eat whole grain basmati rice once a week.

I eat a lot of legume (beans, lentils, chickpeas, ...).
I avoid the other starchy foods.
I love legume.

I eat 5-6 times a day, my last meal (11.30PM) is 250ml kefir with cinnamon just before going to bed. (yes it's true)

My other little meals are a fruit or a hand full of almonds, nuts, ...

I avoid processed food.

I eat fish every day, I don't eat any other animal.

I don't heat vegetable oils, I try to boil or steam my food.
I only use vegetable oils cold, as dressing.
If I need fat to cook, I prefer to use butter, but not too often.
I'm not afraid of eating a lot of good fats (salmon, sardines, avocado, olive or canola oil, nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, ...)

I use a lot of spices like curcuma, pepper, chili, ...
I eat onions and garlic daily, raw.

Every day, I have a 9gr piece of 99% cocoa dark chocolate when I back home from work, 1.30 hour before dinner.
I have a big glass of red wine or even a bigger glass cider while eating in the evening.
I finish my dinner with 30gr Camembert cheese.

Try to avoid food with a too high glycemic load, that's the way to avoid craving and stocking unwanted fat!
 
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