Weight-Loss Thread

[Trilby]

Good morning. It is tomorrow and I am starting my day under the premise that I can eat like a normal human woman and not some sort of disgusting pig. I promise to tell the truth about my progress and my exercise routine (which, up till today, has been pretty much 'lie on the couch and watch TV)

Anyone who wishes to join me, come on in!

And good luck for today. All we have to do is eat reasonably TODAY. That's my goal.

And, walk.

[lumberjim]

I promise too. to be clear, I will post everything that passes my lips ( on the way in) and everything i consider to be excercise. You may get sick of this thread. tough.

[Undertoad]

FWIW, personally, I have found that, no matter what the people say, the exercise is *optional*.

It takes an enormous amount of walking to make up 100 calories of intake and 100 calories is nothing to a food addict.

Exercise is important it turns out, but I found that demanding BOTH eating well and exercise at the same time was too much responsibility. Too much reason to fail.

Plus, it was always a route to rationalization. Of course I can eat this cake. I will exercise tomorrow. And tomorrow I will find another rationalization, until I fail completely.

[skysidhe]

I kind of am like UT. My diet consists of me not eating cassaroles yet I do pick up unhealthy things to eat sometimes. I work two jobs and walk the whole time during one, thus the indulgence. When I do exercise it is usually pilates which I find helpful.I've taught myself how to make healthy dishes the last two years but I don't really eat that much. So I'll observe before I decide if it is right for me to participate.

goodluck guys

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Exercise is important it turns out, but I found that demanding BOTH eating well and exercise at the same time was too much responsibility. Too much reason to fail.

Try what I did -- small changes. Don't start jogging in the morning, every morning. Instead, take the stairs in place of the elevator. Don't try to ride your bike to work, but try parking your car in the remote area of the parking lot and walking in. Take a walk before or after lunch around your office. It all adds up and eventually you'll get to the point where you'll feel great doing more, more often. You might even actually want to wake up early to walk with the sunrise! (This is a recent surprise for me and it is a habit I hope I stick with! Early mornings are beautiful!)

Drink coffee, not soda.
Drink plenty of water.
Eat vegetables and fruit.
Move around each day, even just a little.
Don't eat anything three hours before you sleep for the night.
Watch the movie "Supersize Me". Be afraid.

Another tip: Try going hungry for just a several hours to feel what it is like to have a totally empty stomach. If you can't feel this feeling on a normal basis without getting dizzy/faint, check with your doctor. A lot of people don't realize that you should be able to go hungry without feeling miserable. Once you're empty for awhile, eat something healthy. (Pasta, salad, steamed vegetables over rice.) Do this until you get used to satisfying cravings with good food instead of junk.

I don't do a lot of activity, but these small changes made to my life of sitting in an office chair for eight hours a day resulted in a loss of 30 pounds in one year. I've been at 157lbs for more than three years because of it and I'm now working on getting in shape. (it's going to take awhile)

[barefoot serpent]

I second what Kitsune said except Drink tea instead of coffee or soda -- less caffeine. And when you do feel hungry between regularly scheduled meals, drink something instead of eating -- water is best.

Take it slow with the exercise. It is easy to burn out if you try too hard too soon. Eventually you want to work in some aerobic exercise (heartrate of >120 bpm). For me I try to ride my bike or use a stationary equipment at least once a day reaching 120 bpm for 15-20 min. It took about 4 months to work up to that level -- I lost about 45lbs. from 230.

[Ridgeplate]

On the whole "move around more" topic, try this. Once an hour or so, stand up nice and straight. Take three deep slow breaths, and do four or five deep knee bends. If you have your own office, maybe do ten quick push-ups. This makes your body think it's about to do something active and gives your metabolism a small bump. Chase this with a glass of water. These little bumps during the day will keep you from getting that bogged down feeling. I've been doing this for about a month now, and it's kept me from going into a food-coma after lunch. The hard part has been remembering to do it, so I've got my email reminding me during the day.

[lumberjim]

i think i could get away with that.

breakfast:

whole wheat bagel w/cream cheese, 1 banana, lrg coffee w/cream no sug.

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by barefoot serpent

I second what Kitsune said except Drink tea instead of coffee or soda -- less caffeine.

I only stated this because if you're used to drinking soda, you'll be more likely to burn out without the caffiene. But it is still a good idea if you can do it!

The heart rate thing helped me out a lot, too. When I do go out on the bicycle, I found out with a Polar monitor that I over exert myself if I don't pay attention. Staying in the correct range means the difference between a fun day out and extreme misery.

Does anyone else here completely skip breakfast? I've been told repeatedly it is a bad idea, but I've done it for years.

[glatt]

I eat a huge bowl of Wheaties for breakfast every day. It's kind of a running joke in my family that I always eat Wheaties. My day never really gets started unless I eat a breakfast. I need it to function right.

I'm not so worried about the weight loss, but I like the idea of getting up from your desk at regular intervals to get the blood pumping. That's one thing I really need to work on. At the end of the 9 hour day sitting at the desk, I feel like the life blood has been sucked out of me.

[glatt]

Oh, also, I'm a little jittery at times. I may bounce/tap my leg or something for a while just for fun. Like a teenager with pent up energy. I've read that fidgeting around like that can burn off more calories than than deliberately exercising once or twice a week.

[Undertoad]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

whole wheat bagel w/cream cheese, 1 banana, lrg coffee w/cream no sug.

Weight Watchers point values:

whole wheat bagel = 4 pts
cream cheese = 2 pts
banana = 2 pts
cream = 1 pt (if it was real cream)

9 points total on the weight watchers system. (You are probably allotted about 35 for the day.)

And I add, weight maintenance would be an excellent reason to keep the Cellar in one's allowed-to-browse list. The equivalent of saying "This is a safety issue, not a warranty issue" to a service department.

[Undertoad]

Oh, when I say "you are probably allotted 35 points", that's not good enough.

It's like, 250 lbs = 35 points, 275 lbs = 37, 300 lbs = 39 and so on. And this is of course a vast oversimplification.

[lumberjim]

can i count on you to tabulate my points on a consistent basis? j/k

[Undertoad]

If you felt like it would be helpful, I would definitely do that.

It's edumacational, plus it's like a support group sort of.

But it's scary, it's like putting yourself out there man.