20lbs or less club

First off, congrats Cym! I bought a pair of dressy capris that were a 9/10 the other day and I was thrilled!

Some good news...I am visiting home for the first time in two months. My summer clothes are here and I tried on a lot of the stuff that I bought two summers ago that didn't fit last summer. And...it all fits! Not just squeezing into it, I mean, the clothes fit great. I've lost an inch off my chest, an inch and a half off my waist, an inch off my hips, and an inch off each thigh (I know some people read that in my diary, but hey, I'm proud!). I would really love to be a size 8 again (haven't been that size since i was 16) and I think that if I keep working hard I can make it. I hope everyone has a great Sunday and a wonderful week!

Casey
 
Everyone sounds like they are doing so well. I know we all have our slip ups but we recognize them and move on. You have to indulge every once in a while and that is okay. I am doing pretty good. I have now lost about 4 lbs so that makes me happy. I have 11lbs to go and I want it off by June.

Everyone has been talking about this hunger thing and I experience that to. Sometimes I eat and I still feel hungry afterwards. It is the weirdest feeling but I just ignore it and it goes away. Is it harmful be drastically under your calories for the day. The other day I only had 1100 calories and I have been trying to keep it at 1500. I didn't even notice until I counted at the end of the day. Also, I know some of you have experienced a weight plateau. What does it take to get over the hump and keep losing? I have a fear that this will happen to me.

Again, thanks everybody for all of your help.
 
I haven't hit a plateau (yet...) but I believe a few ways to get over it are to change up your workout routine, add resistance/weight training, and I have even heard that adding a few extra cals with added exercise can help. Also, obviously, cutting out simple carbs and eating more healthy stuff.
 
Hi all!
CaseyAtMartin: Congrats on fitting back into your clothes! Its a great feeling isnt it?
Loriteresa: I dont think ive hit the 'dreaded plateau' yet so I cant really help, sorry!

Ive had a bit of a wobbly weekend, weekends tend to be difficult diet wise for me. Mostly because if im going to drink it happens at the weekend, also im at home more so im more likely to pick at food. Then to top it off shopping day is monday so by the time it gets to saterday/sunday the fruit and yogurt is eaten and I end up on the biscuits.
 
CaseyAMartin: the funny thing is, I bet in two months those summer clothes will be too big:)

Loriteresa: I've hit a plateau or two (or three) along the way. In one case what seemed like a plateau was really just me taking in more and burning less than I thought because I was guesstimating way too many portion sizes and calories. The other times I had no movement at all (scale/measurements/body fat%) I increased my calories and the intensity of my workouts.

Oh, I forgot to mention this one...in my recent reading on leptin (and other "fat hormones") I came across the following quote "as leptin levels decrease there are increases in food seeking behaviors"...food seeking behaviors - whatever could that mean??? LOL
 
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cym said:
Oh, I forgot to mention this one...in my recent reading on leptin (and other "fat hormones") I came across the following quote "as leptin levels decrease there are increases in food seeking behaviors"...food seeking behaviors - whatever could that mean??? LOL
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Lol, food seeking behaviours? Translation: Me standing in our kitchen looking fertivly around for something, anything, that wont completly trash the diet! :p
 
be safe

danni c said:
i am 5'5 and 138, my goal is 125 and i only have 6 weeks to reach it! is this at all realistic? what could you guys suggest. im going on a 6 week vacation and i cant stand the site of myself in a bikini! please help!
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You could definitely lose 13 lbs in 5 weeks but you most likely won't keep it off. Moreover, when you are losing your 13lbs some of it will be muscle. Then if you gain the weight you will have a worse body fat percentage than you started with:(

So I would recommend that you not try and take it all off before the vacation. You can lose a good amount of weight that you will keep off if you follow the right guidelines.

I would highly recommend circuit training. You get your cardio and you get your strength training. The strength training will help you build more muscle which will enables you to burn more calories at rest!

On your off days do some high intensity interval training or walk. Whatever you can handle.

Eat small meals 6 times a day to keep your metabolism going and you will be really happy with the results.

This is what I do with a lot of my clients and they are extremely happy!
 
Hiya

Cym, you crack me up - I am all too well-aquainted with "food-seeking behaviors!" And Halo, I like your definition. Too funny.

CaseyAtMartin, that is so great about your summer clothes!!! How fun! I just pulled out my summer shorts and skirts from last year and sadly I think I'm going to have to go shopping for "big girl" outfits for the time being :( Oh well, I'm not putting my cute stuff in long-term storage, just the short-term for now until I can get this stinkin weight off....

Pilates Your Way, thanks for the motivating note! I think that sounds like a very sensible plan! And I agree, slow is the way to go if it's going to stay off (besides, it's the only way I know - LOL!)

xxoo,
Anna
 
Dinner x 2

Ok, I have a question for you. I had this problem when I joined this forum and now it's happening again! I run into trouble at night time after time b/c I get hungry for dinner at around 6:30 and really need to eat something substantial (a snack just doesn't cut it). I start my day at 6 and end it by 10:30, so my mealtimes are kind of early. But then my husband gets home from work late and so he ends up eating at around 8:30. And I inevitably end up eating with him, even though I'm not hungry, just because it's such a nice social thing to do (and, let's face it, his dinner is usually much tastier than the one I eat at 6:30!) And then it shoots me way over my cal limit for the day. There must be some obvious solution to this dilema that I'm just not seeing... any suggestions?
 
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AnnaBananna: As promised I went looking for filling foods at our last food shop and I made up a nice smoothie which I posted in the smoothie thread in the nutrition forum and il put it here too:

1/4 litre no added sugar cranberry juice drink
160g strawberries
10 raspberries
10 blackberries

I estimate it comes out at around 80 cals and it made enough to fill up my big CocaCola glass with quite a bit to spare, maybe another half a glass.

I found that pretty filling so you could whip that up and drink it while sitting with your husband? You could try pushing your meals back a bit, like have lunch an hour later then having some fruit or something when you get home, so you can hang on untill your husband gets home and eat with him then? I can sympathise because I prefer earlier meals but will hold out untill my boyfriend gets home then eat with him.

Hope that helps!
 
Anna, you could try just having a big salad, nothing but greens and a little bit of light dressing, or 1 cup of steamed veggies (whatever kind you like). Filling and keep you chewing while you spend the meal with him, but very low calories (1 cup of broccoli = 24 cals, 2.6g protein, 0.3g fat, 5.1g fiber, 3.6g carbs).
 
newbie...

Hi folks, just starting. I aim to lose 20 lbs by June 30th. I am 38, small frame, 143 lbs., nonsmoker, nondrinker. I cut my calories to 1500-1700 per day, and am spinning six days a week for about 30 min. per. I also have a farm and so have the usual barn chores. But my day job is sitting aaaallll day. I lost three pounds so far, and one centimeter off my waist. I know this will level off at some point, at which point I will need your help readjusting my routine.
 
Annabanna: looks like Halo and Jeney both already said exactly what I was gonna suggest too:) I'm usually in the same boat because of working nights. I physically need to eat a full meal around 5 or 6 pm but I always want to eat something tasty when I get home at 10 or 11 -- unless I go out afterwork and use the calories on wine:p Generally I make my work dinner lower in calories - piece of super lean protein (a piece of fish or chicken breast) and a lot of veggies (turnip greens, cabbage, etc) and a piece of fruit or grain/legume, which is filling, then my last meal, when I can sit down and really enjoy it, about is more stuff that tastes good (i.e. tortilla wraps with melted cheese).
 
Water, Water, Water

I hate to say this, but it worked great for me and it works great for a lot of my clients.

Drink as much water as possible. Getting calories that close to bed time is very counter productive when trying to lose weight. It is one of the worst things you can do, especially if his dinner is tasty.:)

I would recommend having a few glasses of water with him. Its great for you on so many levels, but most of all it will prevent you from taking in excess calories. I know its not the answer you wanted to hear, but it works!

When losing weight I always tell my clients they should, "go to bed hungry". I mean for them to literally be hungry, and figuratively be hungry to reach your goals. Your stomach will adjust over time and when you start seeing the results it will be much easier to skip that extra meal.

If you have done a strength training workout during the day, a protein shake is also recommended. There are ways to make those really tasty too!

If you aren't doing strength training, you should. Build muscle helps increase calorie consumption so you burn more calories at rest.

Good luck...I know its not easy, but nothing in life that's worth it is!
 
indigoiis said:
Hi folks, just starting. I aim to lose 20 lbs by June 30th. I am 38, small frame, 143 lbs., nonsmoker, nondrinker. I cut my calories to 1500-1700 per day, and am spinning six days a week for about 30 min. per. I also have a farm and so have the usual barn chores. But my day job is sitting aaaallll day. I lost three pounds so far, and one centimeter off my waist. I know this will level off at some point, at which point I will need your help readjusting my routine.
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Spinning is an amazing workout! It is great for you and gets amazing results.

I will recommend that you add more variety to your workouts. Your body and your muscles will get used to the workout, making it less effective. If you do something else 3 days a week and do spinning 3 days a week you will see even better results over a longer period of time.

Good luck!
 
Pilates Your Wa said:
Getting calories that close to bed time is very counter productive when trying to lose weight. It is one of the worst things you can do, especially if his dinner is tasty.:) .
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I mean no disrespect here, but that is simply not true. Your body will gain and lose weight based on the amount of calorie deficit/surplus you give it...not according to the time of day (or frequency) you supply these calories. The problem with eating later in the evening is not the time, it's that, unless carefully monitored, it usually involves eating more calories than needed, causing a surplus. The suggestions Anna was given were ways in which she can enjoy her evening meal with her hubby without creating a surplus. The "extra" meal does not have to mean "extra" calories.

The idea, for me anyway, is not to lose/maintain weight in such a way that it makes everyday life less enjoyable....rather to do it in such a way that we learn to control our food and make the type of choices that keep life enjoyable while losing/maintaining weight.

If you are taking in an adequate amount of food over the course of the day, there is no reason to have to "go to bed hungry" to lose weight...whether your tummy (actually it's your mind) adjusts eventually or not. Just IMO, the thing we should be teaching ourselves is to recognize when we are physically (not emotionally) hungry, meet that need with nutritious food and move on...that's hard enough to do without confusing the issue by denying ourselves food when we are legitimately hungry.

You're right that it's not easy, but no reason to make it harder than it has to be. Please don't think I am personally slamming you in any way...it's just that this particular type of advice is what leads to successful weight loss...and not so successful long term maintaining that loss.
 
ya'll rock!

I don't have time to make a substantive post right now, but I at least wanted to write in and say a HUGE THANK YOU for all of these great posts!!! You guys are AWESOME! I will write more soon (hopefully tonight) :D :D :D
 
Thank you round 2...

Ok, I have time to write now. Guys, thank you so much for these great suggestions! Halo, that smoothie sounds delicious - (they need a yum yum emoticon...) Do you think it would hold me off until dinner? Worth a shot. I really am ravenous and ready to eat anything and everything by 6:30. Maybe if I have a smoothie at 5:30 I won't be ravenous until 8:30 when hubbie comes home?? Maybe I could outsmart myself?? If not, I love the idea of letting myself actually eat when I'm hungry (i.e., at 6:30) and eating a good, sensible dinner like cym and jennay suggested. And then eating a salad or broccoli or something when hubbie comes home so at least I'm being social. I try so hard not to let him know how hard I'm trying to lose weight, but he knows how unhappy I am at my current tubby size, so maybe he'll actually be happy that he sees me trying to do something about it (less complaining that he'll have to listen to about how my %$&# pants don't fit ;) )
Pilates Your Way I do keep forgetting to drink water, so the reminder is great!! And I keep wanting to add strength training. I need to make myself do it.... again, the reminder is a good one! That will be my goal for the week....
Welcome, Indigoiis! Sounds like you're off to a great start. And girl, I hear that about sitting on your duff all day long. I sit around the house with the baby aaaaaaaall day long except for his therapy/drs visits. Is it sad I get excited for those?? On the 1 day my mom in law sits for him I sit at my desk all day and word on my thesis for grad school. So I am beyond sedentary! (but not for long, refer to aforementioned pledge to strength train!) Sounds like your barn chores keep you busy though. How cool is that to have a farm??

p.s. Just as an FYI that I found out the hard way, chicken cacciatore has crazy calories!!!! I thought it was so healthy / low cal but WHOA! It's nuts!
 
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HEY GUYS!!!
Kat here, I joined a couple weeks ago but I guess I just wasn't ready. :(
I had 3 exams and a paper all in one week and I got into a big fight with a friend, anyways I realized that I feel way worse when I eat crappy food so I'm ready to start again. I've kept up reading the posts.
Halo you totally stole my snack lol :)
When I feel like I need a snack but it isn't really meal time I put 1 C. pure cranberry juice (not cranberry cocktail!!) and about 140g frozen strawberries. It's pretty acidic so I'll add some honey or splenda. It is 70 calories for a cup of cranberry juice and 45 calories for 140g frozen strawberries so about 115 calories... sorry I'm a calorie nut. If you want a bigger snack I love adding some yogurt.

I'm going to weigh myself tomorrow morning and officially begin my weight loss goal. I want to lose 10Lbs by April 26th... why you ask? It's my last exam so I want to really try not to fall victim to eating crap when I'm stressed plus summer is creeping up and I want to look and feel my best.

One more note on my ridiculously long post. I have always heard that eating before bed = gaining weight is complete rubbish. A calorie is a calorie and it doesn't matter at what time of day. Not eating before bed is just a good habit because a lot of mindless snacking happens at night.

Anyways you are all great and really motivational. I'll post again tomorrow, if you're not already sick of me.
 
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