Here It Is! My Big Weight Loss Secret!!!

[MrsJim]

Okay, I knew you'd look! :lol:

The truth is, I get PMs asking 'what my secret was to lose the weight' often. I'm sure I'm not the only one...and thus, this post.

"What's your secret?"

"Did you use diet pills?"

"Can you tell me how to do it?"

Well...the big secret is...there is no secret.

I remember watching an Oprah video that she released in conjunction with "Make the Connection" back in 1995 or thereabouts. She said something that stuck with me and RESONATED. Okay, I can't quote it WORD for WORD, but basically she was talking about the Majic Pill. Paraphrasing here: "If there was a magic pill to melt off the fat, I would have it. I would take all my money, I would go to the mountain and buy the potion. I would have it. I would have it."

But as Oprah said...there IS no potion. Proof of that are the many, many famous, fabulously rich people who have everything yet still struggle with their weight. Who comes to mind? Oprah...Anna Nicole Smith...Liz Taylor...Kirstie Alley...et cetera. If there was a majic pill, they would have it. (BTW, I'm sure that ANS' recent weight loss is strictly temporary, based on recent interviews where she claimed not to exercise or eat healthfully - she just 'stopped eating' which means a binge is likely imminent IMO.)

As Dr. Phil so wisely said in his recent best-selling book, obesity and overweight cannot be CURED, they can only be MANAGED. We ALL have the propensity to put on the pounds - it's part of our genetics, since we didn't always sit on our butts in front of a computer, then come home and watch TV and eat pre-prepared food. I'm just one generation away from farmers (Dad's side) and coal miners (Mom's side) who did hard manual labor 12 hours a day, came home, did chores around the house and sat down to dinner. And 'dinner' didn't mean going to the store and picking up something to toss in the microwave or even the electric or gas oven. For both my parents growing up, dinner and other meals meant fattening up and butchering their own meat, planting, growing and gathering their own vegetables and fruits, grinding their wheat and rye into flour, chopping wood for the stove that cooked their food (well in my Dad's case anyway...they were pretty much dirt poor). Preparing a meal was a HUGE job back then. (If you got a chance to see it, or can check it out of the library - PBS did a show called "Frontier House" that shows exactly how much work was involved without electricity or any of the modern conveniences...I'm waiting to see "1940's House" which is coming up soon...)

And the meals were not loaded with sugar either. As my Dad never tires of telling me, sugar was a luxury for them - one of the only things they actually purchased at the store (salt was the other one). Even the desserts such as pies and cakes had relatively little sugar in them in comparision to what we're used to these days.

Anyway...flash forward to the 1950's, the advent of TV, and our GI's back from WWII who were accustomed to eating K-Rations - the early fast food - bland, easy to eat, and with more sugar and fat than 'regular food' to sustain our troops. McDonald's opened their first restaurant in San Bernardino with the bland, cheap, fast food, Ray Kroc stumbled across the store when he was selling milk shake machines, and the rest is history...

Flash forward again to today...2004...most everyone works behind a desk or in a job which requires little manual labor. We're surrounded by cheap, high-calorie food. Thanks to the development of high-fructose corn syrup, it is no longer a luxury to have sweet, sugary food. After work, many of us go and sit in front of the Tee Vee or computer.

And meanwhile, the epidemic of obesity overwhelms us. :(

The secret??? Hard work and persistence kept our grandparents lean...they didn't think about it, work was just part of their day, hard manual labor. Now, we need to do what Dr. Phil calls "Intentional Exercise". And food - our grandparents weren't surrounded by Krispy Kreme donuts and cookies and baskets of candy in their workplaces. It's up to us to be STRONG and resist the temptations placed in our path, and not become The Human Garbage Disposal 'because it's there' to be gobbled up in a few seconds and forgotten a minute later.

Basically, you just have to decide what's more important - a momentary pleasure of sugar and fat or lifelong good health?

I posted the following earlier this week at the Ladies Who Lift forum on our weekly thread in response to a post there:

[Willingness to do the work] - that's the BIG secret of losing the weight for real. It's not a book or a program or a plan or anything like that, although there are tools that can aid you on your path.

It's WORK. Yup, there's nothing 'easy' or 'effortless' about weight loss, especially when you have a buttload of weight to lose - despite the marketers and advertisers who would have us believe otherwise (as long as you buy their miracle product!). I was there too, so I know, believe me, I remember. It's like someone handing you a teaspoon and a cup, pointing at Mt. Everest, and saying "move this mountain using only this spoon and cup" when you have 100 pounds or more to lose.

I was/am a big fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and I always remember something her Pa said in one of the Little House Books - I think it was "The Long Winter" when he was digging up the sod for the first time: (paraphrasing here) "Rome wasn't built in a day, nor is anything else worth having".

Nope, losing a lot of weight and (more importantly) keeping it off for good isn't easy, but believe me, it CAN be done - through hard work and (oh yeah) PERSISTENCE! Jeez, I almost forgot about PERSISTENCE...ai yi yi.

And as any of us who have lost a great deal of weight and kept it off can tell you - it's hard work, it takes effort (especially with all the temptations surrounding us these days!) but dang - the rewards are SO RICH. Kind of reminds me of the women I know who've had kids. They've gone through the pain of childbirth (Bill Cosby quoting Carol Burnett on childbirth pain: "Take your lower lip and pull it over your forehead" ), but once their tender new bundle is delivered safe in their arms, the pain is forgotten (I haven't ever given birth myself, but I have three sisters who are all moms plus dozens of friends who are also moms).

I'd also like to recommend (if I haven't already) a little paperback book titled "Diary of a Fat Housewife" by Rosemary Green. (get the paperback rather than the hardcover - it's much more up to date - you should be able to find it pretty cheap at half.com) Rosemary went through the same sort of fat hell and wrote about it at length in her diary. She did eventually get to her goal weight of 135 (and I've heard that she's still at her goal weight after 8 years of maintaining!) and had some terrific insights at the end of the book (I do admit that sometimes during the diary itself she drives me nuts...). Just a must read, IMO - although keep in mind that it is NOT a diet book.

Just don't give up - keep learning and reading and WORKING HARD and you CAN do this! It's not an insurmoutable goal!

A friend of mine, Kristi Larsen, is a certified personal instructor and has done a heckuva lot of research on nutrition and exercise in weight training. (If you don't know who she is, she has a website at www.kristilarsen.com with a ton of info and her journal - you can also subscribe to her e-newsletter as well).

This article is from her latest newsletter...


The Importance of NUTRITION For Looking Your Best
.................................................. ..........................

Take a look around next time you are in the gym. How many people are pushing huge amounts of weight or running like mad on the treadmills and their bodies seem to always stay the same? The reason a lot of them have not seen a change is because they have not realized how important proper diet is. It's difficult to believe (especially considering the media's influence on diet and exercise) that fat loss is 80% your eating and 20% exercise- give or take a little either way.

Don't make the mistake of thinking there is a diet plan made for you out there and all you have to do is find it. Stop buying bodybuilding, health and fitness magazines looking for the secret diet or training program that will change your life forever.

Those who strive for a stellar physique are continually experimenting with their bodies. Each and every body is different and will respond (or fail to respond) to training and diet in a unique way. What is overtraining for one, is not for another. One may have phenomenal success with a low-carb diet, whereas, another might have minimal results. One person may be able to attain 7% bodyfat with little to no cardio training, when his friend might require two cardio sessions per day to achieve that same body composition. No one said it was fair. But that is reality. In fact, two people with the exact same body composition will not necessarily respond the same to diet and training protocols, and supplementation the same way. To get the results you desire, you MUST customize your program to your body.

"99 percent of the human population are lazy *******s! And 99 percent of the fitness industry plays to this strength." ~Jacob Wilson

Honestly, if you are tired of being overweight and "soft," or if you desperately just want to develop your "six pack," then you must educate yourself and get serious about changing your body. It has to become a priority in your life (at least until you reach your goal). There are no quick fixes, however if you use the right information, you will be able to make dramatic changes to your physical appearance in a very short period of time.

One of the best suggestions for customizing YOUR nutritional approach is to log every morsel you consume. Sounds like a hassle- and maybe it is- but if it got you to the body you desire, would it be worth the trouble? Logging your intake keeps you honest. The New England Journal of Medicine found that when people wrote down what they ate, they had UNDERESTIMATED on average by 1053 kcal/day. That is MAJOR!!!

Logging makes you aware of what you are putting into your mouth over the days/weeks/months (and it all adds up over time) and it just may clearly illustrate why you are not getting the results you expect. Your dietary log can be later used as a concrete tool to seek out professional dietary help.

You can start by logging all foods in Fitday (www.fitday.com) or Excel- especially in the beginning until you know everything by memory. By using a computer program to log your diet helps make sure you are getting the proper ratios of fat/carbs/protein.

Americans are fatter now than ever, even though more Americans are dieting now than ever and over 30 billion dollars per year is being spent on fat loss.

You can't buy fat loss with money. Only with hard work! Quite simply put, there is no easy way out!


"There should be nothing standing between you and your goal. Until you reach your desired body, you should be living, breathing and eating fat loss."
~Anthony Ellis

Summing up...finally... :) Nope, there's no Majic Pill or Potion out there. What magic there is is within each one of us. We ALL have the power inside us to lose the weight - it's in there waiting for us. There truly IS a lean person inside us waiting patiently to be released! Now it's up to each one of you to find her! (and nope, you don't have to pay $153 for it either!)

[Wisertime]

Thank you Mrs Jim, I really enjoy reading your posts!

Lynn

[diphthong]

I don't get it. JUST KIDDING! :lol:

You nailed it, Mrs. Jim. Thanks for the thought provoking message.

dip

[Domina]

Thanks, Mrs. Jim. Those are some great points.

I think the TV has really hurt a lot of Americans because they are absolutely addicted to it. I gave up on TV years ago;it's all a bunch of junk. What happened? A friend asked me to go out with her and do something fun. I told her I couldn't because one of "my shows" was on the boob tube. Later I regretted not going with her and turned the stupid tube off!

Along with the TV comes junk food. For many people, TV-watching goes with eating (mostly foods that aren't good for you.)

I happen to enjoy food which caused me to have a weight problem several years ago. Now I'm approaching two years keeping my weight loss off. I feel so much better. I continue to watch my intake and I continue to exercise.

Thanks again for explaining that there's no magic pill!!

[Jennifer 3FC]

Great Post!! Wonderful reading, ALL so true, and very uplifting. Thanks for sharing!!

[GreatBigMonsterMomma]

It's always good to be reminded of what it really takes.

One of my favorite moments came during a prenatal appointment with my second daughter, when I mentioned to the doctor that I had lost 30 pounds between pregnancies. She asked me how I had done it. That moment is equalled only by the time, in my first pregnancy, when a doctor asked me how I'd gotten pregnant. ;) In both cases, I thought the answer was pretty obvious.

You know, there are magic pills. They are advertised online, in magazines, on the radio, & on TV. Of course, none of them actually work. I have found for myself that exercise feels good (I never really hated myself for being fat, but God I hated myself for being out of shape!) and "real" food tastes better anyway.

[MissDiana72]

MrsJim, you are, for lack of a better word, *amazing!*

Thanks for such a great, inspirational piece--my eyes welled up with tears by its end. I joined the message board about 2 mos. ago and wanted to chime in with my own advice to the rest of the Board People.

In a way, I feel sorry for Anna Nicole Smith, because she seems so lost, attention-starved, and I can't even imagine the nutritional catastrophe going on inside her body at the moment. Someone with her kind of money could afford efficient personal trainers, access to state-of-the-art exercise equipment and the best, healthiest foods.

If there's one thing I'll recommend for 'quick weight loss' is RUNNING. 5 years ago I lost 50 lbs in about 3 1/2 mos. by eating low-fat foods, loads of protein and running 6x a week for about 30 min. Though I was never an athletic person, I started by walking around my Company's huge parking lot during breaks, then PowerWalking, gradually increasing the amount of time and speed. By the end of the 1st month I'd lost 10 full lbs. and was running 4 mi. in 40 min. By month #3, I was doing 5Ks.

I moved to Manhattan 2 yrs. ago and most of the weight came back, due to overeating stemming from anxiety and lack of places to run outside. Yes, I got lazy. I refused to run on a treadmill, because doing so was SO boring to me! There's just *something* about running out in the open air!
Anyhow, I am proud to say I have started running again, on a gym's treadmills and am regaining control of my weight. The weather's clearing up, Spring is here, and I'll be running out in a local park very soon. I've already dropped 8 lbs. in a month.

Thanks for your great message to everyone out there!

Diana

[Leenie]

Okay so tell us your secret?

[MrsJim]

Aw jeez youse guys! :)

I wanted to add this from our Meg. I came across this post she wrote this morning on the Support forum in a thread titled "Oh, I Wish This Was Easier...": http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39446

Meg's post is copied here for your reference...

If there’s anyone who can relate to what you’re saying, it’s probably me. :) I walked the same road myself back in 2001 and 2002 and experienced all the same feelings that you talk about in your post. You’re not kidding when you say that losing weight is hard work, but I want to tell you that it’s so so worth it. From where you are now, you have a vision of what your life’s going to be like at goal, right? A dream about how you’re going to look and how you’re going to feel?

OK, I want you to step into my skin for today and feel what it’s like to be me. You with me? You see, I used to think it was all about how I’d look when I got to 135 pounds. I never realized that the pay-off is how good I FEEL. So if you can walk around in my (sweaty gym) shoes for one day, I guarantee that nothing in this world will stop you from losing the rest of the weight.

Here we go!

It’s 4:30 AM and I wake up before the alarm, bursting with energy. I need a lot less sleep now than I did 122 pounds ago. I never dreamed that I could feel so good! The first thing that goes through my mind every day is — woo hoo! I did it! I’m not fat anymore! To me now, every morning is Christmas morning; every day is the best day of my life. :D

I jump out of bed, make coffee, and throw on my gym clothes. That’s a huge change from before, when I was allergic to exercise. :lol: I’m at the gym when it opens and do my cardio for the day, listening to music with a great beat. I notice how much faster and more intensely I can go now than when I was heavy and every day I try to do a little more than the day before. That endorphin rush is a great way to start the day — I’m always so jazzed when I walk out of the gym. :hyper:

Back home to breakfast: oatmeal and chocolate protein powder. The way I eat now and the way I used to eat are like night and day. No more sugar highs and crashes, no more feeling bloated, no more hating myself and feeling controlled by food. I plan my meals for the day and enter them into Fitday.

Then the usual Mom stuff and household stuff. It’s so cool to fly up and down the stairs without having to stop and catch my breath or having my knees and feet hurt. I get my chores done in about half the time it used to take. I love the feeling of being strong just while doing the everyday tasks of life: taking out the trash, carrying the laundry upstairs, hefting the 20# box of kitty litter. :strong:

And then the highlight of my day: back to the gym for weights. The gym was the scariest, most alien place in the world for me when I was heavy and now it’s home. I love lifting weights and love the muscles and the look they give me. I used to be afraid to look in the mirrors at the gym (you know how the walls are lined with mirrors) - now I catch a glimpse of myself and marvel at the stranger who’s looking back at me. How could this be me? I spent all my life as the fat girl and now I have toned arms and little hips. I walk out of the gym on :cloud9: , knowing that I've pushed myself to my limits as I worked to build my best body. Lifting weights has taught me that I have strength and endurance and discipline that I never imagined and it carries over to all other aspects of my life. I know that I’m capable of anything that I set my mind to doing.

Let’s stop and do some clothes shopping on the way home, OK? :) I walk in and bypass the plus sizes and head for all the pretty clothes in the regular sizes. I don’t have to shop for camouflage anymore — no more big T-shirts to hide the butt or long sleeves to cover the jiggle. No more elastic waists or towels strategically covering up my bathing suit. I can look at crop tops and low-rise pants, beautiful (and sexy) lingerie, and tank tops. I see something that I want to try on and look for it in a 4 or a small(which can be hard to find). Now stand in my shoes with me in the dressing room and hold up a pair of jeans in size 4. They’ll never fit, right? They’re WAY too tiny — I used to look at small sizes and think that no one could have a butt small enough to fit in those. :lol: But they slide right up over my hips and fit perfectly (no sucking in the gut). The problem with clothes shopping when I was fat was that nothing looked good. The problem now is that too much looks good — hard on the old budget. :D

Back home, normal life. My dinner’s different from the rest of my family’s but it doesn’t bother me or them a bit. And then to bed, knowing that I physically feel better than I ever have in my life. But more than just how good I feel is the knowledge that I did it! It took me 47 years, but I finally got rid of the fat that weighed down every aspect of my life. There’s no better feeling in the world.

Losing weight — and more importantly — keeping it off is hard work and it’s a job that we’ll have to do for the rest of our lives. It takes sweat, hard work, planning, and self-discipline. You know what to do; like you said, the elements are habit now. But trust me, the pay-off at the end of road is far, far better than you can imagine.

Keep going — you’ve come so far now. When you think about the alternative — going back to being fat and unhappy — really, what choice is there? I guarantee that when you reach your goal (and you will, I’m sure) you’ll agree with me that it was the hardest and, at the same time, the best thing that you ever did in your life.

[Sweetmel]

Wow! I can't wait to feel like that! I 'm just so happy now that I'm in a size 12(14 in some ) and that the smallest size in Avenue it too big for me now makes me really happy. The smallest I've been was a size 7 went I was dancing almost everynight in a dance company. Actually I did get to a size 5 once but it was unhealthy( I couldn't eat because I was scared out of my mind I was pregnant) I didn't grow up with bad eating habits my mother always made for the most part healthy foods for us and gave us fruit for snacks and only made desserts on weekends. We hardly ever had fast food because we were poor! We had pizza once every 2 weeks, the same with KFC or McDonalds It was a treat for us because it cost a lot to feed 5 kids for a struggling family but they did want to give us a treat once in a while and thats what I grew up thinking of it as.
I didn't start gaining weight until after I moved out and had my our money, I kinda went wild with all the choices I had and ate out alot out of boredom too so I never had a
weight problem as a kid because I was always running around playing and when I was a teenager I was busy with my swimteam and dance classes so it wasn't until I got
a desk job and started having afterwork drinks with co-workers and going to all-you-can-eat buffets.

I really like what you said about how there's no "magic bullet" or we would all be thin! But I tkind of makes me mad that It seems that I put this weight in what seems to be such a short time and It's taking a such a long time to get rid of it.

It's not fair! Oh well. thats again for sharing your inspiring story!


Melodie

[findingmyself]

Thank you Mrs. Jim!!!! I have been looking for a miracle even though I know the only miracle that is going to happen is for me to stop eating junk!! Tee Hee. Just kidding. I will stop eating junk. I started exercising and I do well on diet 50 percent of the time. Unfortunately the other 50 percent I spend searching for some easy way out of this bod. I know what it takes yet I am still trying to find some hidden secret. Very catching title.

Thanks again

[rochemist]

Perfect, just perfect Karen and Meg. Also knowing everything about nutrition,dieting, and excercise doesn't work as well as actual application. For some reason I always thought my vast amount of knowledge and research and trying everything would put me a step ahead of the game. I think a wise woman on the LWL board once wrote, "Abs are made in the kitchen". I have not found words that have been more true to my weightloss. Thank goodness Meg said 47 years to get it, at 32 I was beginning to believe I am the worlds slowest learner. :D

Chris

[Daisynyc]

I always love your posts, Mrs. Jim.

You know, for me, it's not trying to find out someone's "secret," as in the Magic Bullet.

Recently, I have started asking people (who, like me, are insulin resistant or diabetic) on this board what eating plan they used or are using simply in an effort to find a place to begin.

So, when I have asked people on this board "how they did it," I guess I don't see the answer as obvious. When I ask "how", I don't mean "did you reduce calorie intake and increase exercise." I mean: did you journal? Did you do a low carb diet? Did you focus on cardio or a mix of training? Did you count calories? Weigh portions? Get group support? What else? Which of these factors helped *you* and why?

I'm just lookin' for ideas. Inspiration. A nudge in the right direction. It is quite possible to work hard at losing weight, restrict calories and not have success.

Maybe when your Dr. asked how you did it, she was just wondering how you overcame the obstacles that throw so many of the rest of us off course. That's really what I mean.

In any event, you're an inspiration. Thanks for the great post.

[SHIRLEYQ27]

Hi I Am New To This Sight My Doctor Has Recently Put Me On Glucophage 500 Mg A Day I Have Lost 11 Pounds In 21 Days. Has Anyone Else Tried This Way Before Please Let Me Know Thank You Chrissy

[cathyxxx]

Hi Shirley! congrats on the weightloss!

I have never heard of Glucophage so I looked it up and it seems to be for "Type 2 Diabetes Control". Do you have sugar diabetes?

[SHIRLEYQ27]

Hi Shirley! congrats on the weightloss!

I have never heard of Glucophage so I looked it up and it seems to be for "Type 2 Diabetes Control". Do you have sugar diabetes?
HI AGAIN NO I DONT HAVE TYPE 2 DIABETES. THEY STARTED USING GLUCOPHAGE AS A WAY TO ALTER PCOS SYMTOMS. WHEN U HAVE PCOS YOUR BODY RELEASES WAY TO MUCH INSULIN WHEN YOU EAT AND WHAT YOUR BODY DOESNT USE GETS TURNED INTO FAT. SO AFTER 3 YRS OF STUDIES THEY NOW SEE THIS MEDICINE HELPS THE ONLY SIDE AFFECT IS BATHROOM VISITS WICH TO ME DOESNT MATTER AS LONG AS I LOSE WEIGHT. YEAH THERE IS ANOTHER GIRL ON IT AND SHE HAS LOST 60 POUNDS IN 6 MONTHS JUST FROM TAKING A PILL AND FOLLOWING A 1600 DIET. WRITE AGAIN PLEASE LOVE TO TALK TO PEOPLE. CHRISSY

[SeekInnerThinChick]

I just wanted to add something... While losing weight and getting fit is certainly a lot of hard work, it's also a lot of fun, at least for me. Throughout this process, I've met lots of new people, tried out new activities, learned new things, experimented with new foods, and just generally expanded by life and experience in many different directions. I've also improved my health greatly, and become much more relaxed and happy as a result of my new habits. Even the struggles are gratifying, like winning a hard-fought game. So the rewards of a fitter way of life aren't just at the end of the process-- they happen all along the road. It's actually fun! :dizzy:

[rochemist]

Someone quick get this to the top of the posts! Start with page 1, and one day at a time.

Chris

[Simplyme]

I have a question...
I don't really eat unhealthy, and I do keep a food log... On a daily basis I burn more then what I eat.
I typically have a Lite Yogurt for breakfast occassionally accompied with a 'Special K' breakfast bar.
For lunch I either eat a salad or a small portion from the night befores dinner.
For dinner I normally bake chicken or tuna and accompany it with a vegatable.
I drink lots of water, hardly ever any pop, and a couple cups of coffee in the morning (sweetened by 'Sweet n' Low' only).
The worst thing that I do is have a beer or two everyweek.
I rarely snack, and when I do it's normally chips and salsa or a pickle.
All of this maintains my weight at what it is (220lb).

Is there anything else that I can do to help myself loose weight.
Any suggestions?? :?: :?:

[MrsJim]

I have a question...
I don't really eat unhealthy, and I do keep a food log... On a daily basis I burn more then what I eat.
I typically have a Lite Yogurt for breakfast occassionally accompied with a 'Special K' breakfast bar.
For lunch I either eat a salad or a small portion from the night befores dinner.
For dinner I normally bake chicken or tuna and accompany it with a vegatable.
I drink lots of water, hardly ever any pop, and a couple cups of coffee in the morning (sweetened by 'Sweet n' Low' only).
The worst thing that I do is have a beer or two everyweek.
I rarely snack, and when I do it's normally chips and salsa or a pickle.
All of this maintains my weight at what it is (220lb).

Is there anything else that I can do to help myself loose weight.
Any suggestions?? :?: :?:

Well, first thing I'd ask is...how about exercise? You didn't mention it...

Also, you might want to subsitute something with protein in it for breakfast instead of that Special K Bar, which I would bet has a significant amount of sugar.

This might sound totally loony, but you probably need to be eating more often. (note that I didn't say "eating MORE" - rather than three big meals a day, space out your calories in 5-6 smaller meals. Here's an example (using 'real food', not protein shakes or anything like that).

Breakfast: Hot oatmeal, 2 eggs (or 1 egg + 4 eggwhites) (I generally scramble the egg and whites together or make an omelette - feel free to add veggies such as baby spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc. The more veggies, the merrier! :lol: )

Midmorning snack - piece of fruit (such as an apple or peach) or a "light" yogurt (100 calories or less)

Lunch - Chicken-breast sandwich in a whole-wheat pita with lots of veggies and mustard (no mayo!)

Afternoon snack - piece of fruit (if you're really hungry, add some protein like cottage cheese or a hardboiled egg).

Dinner - lean protein (chicken, fish, lean meat) with lots of veggies, maybe a small yam or baked potato (no sour cream or use the fat-free kind - or try salsa!)

Oh and don't forget portion control - with the exception of vegetables, make sure your portions aren't huge.

Hope that helps :)

Obviously, if you're eating like you posted and maintaining, all you need to do is 'nudge' the caloric intake/outtake a bit to start losing!

[Simplyme]

The only real thing I do for excersising is I walk, at a faster pace then normal but not power walk, about 1 1/2 to 2 miles per day (it's the dog factor). Plus I go out dancing one night a week for about 4 hours. Also, on either Saturday or Sunday, I take my dog to the local canal and power walk for about an hour or two.

What you listed seems like a lot of food to me. I do only eat 3 times a day, but it isn't large portions. I've just always thought that the more u eat, the more u gain weight. Normally I don't get hungry in the evenings, so it's a little hard for me to eat then. But I do live by the golden rule 'don't eat past eight or before bedtime'.

I've just been getting frustrated lately because a coworker of mine, not to mention several others, is loosing weight. However, she as well as my roommate had 'the surgery' to lose it. She has lost about 35lbs in the past two months, and it just makes me feel down and fatter when I'm with here and people talk about it. I have done several things in the past year, but I have stayed the same size - never gaining or losing. I personally want to lose the weight the 'old fashion' way, but it becomes frustrating when you never see any results. This is why I have joined this forum, for help and guidance. The bottom is, I don't know how to lose the weight. I have always suffered with it since I was a child, and I am ready to be thin- I want to go down to at least a 14 (currently I am and 18/20). I understand that I am not going to be thin overnight, but to start seeing some results would be wonderful. I don't want to sound desperate, but sometimes I feel that way...

[MrsJim]

It might *seem* like a lot of food, but it's what Dr. Phil calls "High-Response foods", mostly low calorie and high in nutritients. As a rule, the more unprocessed 'natural' foods you eat, the better for weight loss. And portion control is ESSENTIAL. A 'serving size' of protein (chicken, fish, lean meat) should only be about 3-4 oz. (the size of a deck of cards). A lot of times, I've found it's PORTIONING that is skewed.

I just entered my sample menu in Fitday (without the veggies, since they add so few calories) and came up with 1,045 calories, which is actually pretty low...

Breakfast: 1 egg + 6 eggwhites, 1/2 cup dry oatmeal - 318 calories, 7g fat, 28g carbs, 33g protein

Snack: 1 medium apple - 81 calories, 0 g fat, 21 g carbs, 0 g protein

Lunch: 3.5 oz boneless skinless chicken breast - 160 cal, 3 g fat, 0 g carbs, 30 g protein
1 medium wheat pita bread - 123 cal, 1g fat, 25g carbs, 5 g protein

Snack - 1 medium apple - 81 calories, 0 g fat, 21 g carbs, 0 g protein

Dinner - 4 oz steamed or poached salmon - 164 cal, 5g fat, 0g carbs, 28g protein
1 medium sweetpotato - 116 cal, 0 g fat, 27g carbs, 2g protein

You just need to get out of the 'diet mindset' and into the 'lifestyle mindset'. Losing weight ain't easy - it takes hard work and PERSISTENCE - but it's DOABLE and the rewards are RICH. (I'd recommend reading the Dr. Phil 7 Keys to Weight Control book - QUITE good and it's one of the very few that go into the 'head issues' which is the main part of losing weight permanently IMO :) )

[Simplyme]

THANKS....
I will pick that book up this weekend and give it a shot.
Also, I will try out the meal plan that you described and then go from there...
Thank you very much!

[MrsJim]

No problem! :)

If the Dr Phil show is available in your area, you might want to tune in over the summer - I'm hoping they rerun the Weight Loss Challenge shows. They were EXCELLENT. However, if you aren't able to catch the show, no fear - there are very good synopses of the shows on the Dr. Phil website.

He's got a seven-day sample menu plan here: http://images.drphil.com/weightloss/7day/

And you can look up all the WLC shows here ==> http://www.drphil.com/weightloss/weightloss_show_landing.jhtml?section=Weight%20Los s%20Challengers&subsection=Weight%20Shows

[girly]

I read this a long time ago. I wasn't quite ready. Now I am. I came looking for it because I want to pass it on to someone else. What a great post you made that I still remember it!!! Thanks

[marbleflys]

Great Post Mrs. Jim !!! and so very true, I've watched Operah's video too, it was what first helped me make a real decision

......when i was a child (40 million years ago), we never had processed sugary foods,(my mother was a big advocate for preventing tooth decay) we were NOT allowed to watch TV during the day, (the soap operas were sinful to my young impressionable mind)....we walked to and from school unless the weather was bad, we were sent outside to play, build tents, forts, ride bikes, climb trees (to make my mother scream that I'd break my arm).... I guess it was the early version of aerobic exercise....at night we washed dishes by hand and got up off our butts to change the TV channel.

I take immense satisfaction from my daily exercise lately and being able to shut my mouth when I'm full....it's getting easier each day, and I am thrilled with every small positive change in my body....hopefully it will continue!

[MrsJim]

Thanks EVERYONE! :)

I'm REALLY happy that I can help in any way possible.

Believe me...if I can do this...YOU can. I'm not Superwoman by a long long loooooong shot. I really believe that a positive attitude, willingness to work on permanent changes and concentrating on overall HEALTH are absolutely essential towards success!

[luvmyboys82]

Awesome thread! Lasting, healthy weight loss truly does result only from a healthy lifestyle that you enjoy maintaining, not a fad diet or dependency on diet pills or other *iffy* weight loss methods. :dizzy: (I <3 Dr.Phil's advice as well...)

[aphil]

MrsJim-caught the thread title and I just HAD to respond... :lol:

At my husband's company Christmas party a couple months ago-I wore a pretty smashing new dress. Now, we attend this Christmas party every single year-and I see these same people every time. Well, over the past year I have only lost about 7-8 pounds in scale weight (the rest came off quicker the year before) but because of my increased exercise the past year (in duration and intensity) things are "shaping up" a lot, you know?
Well, my hair has grown out some as well over the past year, and one of Jason's co-workers wives came up sort of ticked off-because she thought Jason came to the party with another woman. :lol: Well, that made my day-and then she said:

"What's your secret?"

Now-what I have noticed from people who notice your weight loss, is that they ask this question with keen interest. They want to know what pill you took, what crash diet you went on, or that you have been doing herbal body wraps at the new dayspa-but the minute you start telling them that you have diligently reduced the amount that you eat, eat better quality foods, and work your tail off with the exercise-THEY LOSE INTEREST. :shrug:

[MrsJim]

Now-what I have noticed from people who notice your weight loss, is that they ask this question with keen interest. They want to know what pill you took, what crash diet you went on, or that you have been doing herbal body wraps at the new dayspa-but the minute you start telling them that you have diligently reduced the amount that you eat, eat better quality foods, and work your tail off with the exercise-THEY LOSE INTEREST. :shrug:

Yup...I've found that to be true myself. :(

[jillybean720]

Simplyme,

It sounds like maybe you aren't eating enough calories. I have read in magazines, online, books, heard on tv, you name it, that you should NEVER go below 1200 calories a day without the strict supervision of a physician. This puts your body in starvation mode and makes it more difficult for you to lose weight because your body is trying to conserve the weight rather than let it go. For those of us who are very overweight, even 1200 a day may be too low (since our bodies are larger and require more caloreis simply to function even if you are not very active). I was eating 1800-2000 calories a day and not exercising regularly and was still losing weight because it all comes down to calories in vs. calories out, but WITHOUT depriving your body of the essential amount of calories it needs to function. I know, it doesn't really follow common sense (if I eat less, I should weigh less, right?), but it is true and has been proven time and time again, not only by experts, but by real people on these boards who gained or maintained weight at 1200 calories then lost weight when they upped it to, say, 1500-1600 calories a day.

If you think you ARE getting enough caloris, then maybe all you need to do is shake it up a bit. Your body gets used to eating the same things every day and settles into a pattern of satisfaction that does not include weight loss. Try varying your diet a little more or having 3 high-calorie days and 4 low-calorie days a week (to average out to your desired number of calories per day). Often, this will wake your body up and keep it on its toes instead of being contently settled into a pattern, therefore jump starting the weight loss again.

I agree with MrsJim that you may want to eat more frequently, also. Eating every 3-4 hours throughout the day is much better for your metabolism, for it's not so stop-and-go, it's a consistent pattern of working and burning and processing.

I know it's hard to hear "eat more" or "eat more often" when you're dieting because it just doesn't seem to make sense to our minds, but it does to our bodies, and after all, that's what you're after is a better body :)

[PURPLEPANSY]

well said mrs jim

[sreschaib]

WoW I am very touched and very moved by what you ladies had to say.THANK YOU!!! I have struggled with my weight all my life and no one has ever had such an impact on me like you have. I guess I have always known how important it was to watch what you eat and exercise, but for me growing up my parents idea of watching what you eat was to watch it go in your mouth. Not exactly right, huh? Any way I just wanted to thank you for inspiring me to pay more attention to my body, and what I am doing to it. Stacey :)

[rubyblushu]

Are you kidding? I do have a secret to losing weight-it's called getting off my lazy butt and exercising! I tell you, it's a miracle solution.

I think I'm one of the lucky ones, though. I was raised to believe exactly what you said. Whenever I see a new diet or pill, I think, "I'll believe it when I see it."

[PURPLEPANSY]

:)

[slimcharm]

I read Diary of a Fat Housewife..it was great..but Rosemary either had her mouth wired shut or stomach stapling..I know she had some type of surgery so its not exactly like losing it through diet and exercise

[Ineedtolose]

Did you follow a certain diet then to lose your weight? What kind of exercise did you do?

[MrsJim]

I read Diary of a Fat Housewife..it was great..but Rosemary either had her mouth wired shut or stomach stapling..I know she had some type of surgery so its not exactly like losing it through diet and exercise

Actually...Rosemary did *not* have her jaws wired shut or WLS.

There are two editions of the book...the 1992 hardcover and the 1996 paperback. The hardcover version ends with Rosemary at around 209 lb, just having had another baby, went to Disneyland with her family and was still dieting.

The paperback contains an epilogue chapter by Ms. Green, which states she lost the last 40 or so pounds (if memory serves) by working with her doctor and using a medically-supervised liquid diet program (sounded like Optifast although she never mentioned the name of the program). The most recent news I've heard, around 2003, is that she was maintaining her weight and hosting a radio program.

[Xuzi]

Great thread!! What really inspired me to keep working towards achieving a healthier me was a Dr. Phil quote I heard a long time ago when he was still just a weekly guest on Oprah and it's stuck with me all these years until I finally got fed up with being fat. The quote was (paraphrasing here): "Time is going to pass whether you exercise or not. Six months from now you're either going to be thinner than you are today, or the same fat blob you are today," It really struck me that you can't wait for the miracle "loose all your weight in one day without any effort" plan. There are no quick fixes to obesity. Sure it can take you a year to loose 50 pounds, but that year is going to pass no matter what so you might as well make the most of it and DO THE WORK. Otherwise you'll just spend another miserable year being fat.

[slimcharm]

Hmm why did I think she had her jaw wired shut or surgery? It seems to me that something wasnt right about the way she lost her weight. Is she the one that her hubby LOCKED the fridge door? I remember the book as a powerful one..but I guess I dont remember what happened as its been so long since I read it.
I wonder if she has kept the weight off today?

[diamondgeog]

I find the amusing thing about a magic pill or diet is that there is a 'magic' statment at least: burn more calories than you take in and you will lose weight. It is about a simple a thing to understand as is possible. So....you can a) take in fewer calores you can b) exercise more and burn more calories. You can c) get more muscle mass so you burn more calories, etc.

I do not want to underestimate the challenge of losing weight but I do not believe that thinking about it as this hard mountain, harddddddd to do aspect all the time helps either. It isn't that hard really. I think very few foods are truly addictive like smoking or drugs are. And there are almost an infinite amount of foods to choose. So one of the big things when I start losing weight is what I call the 'undiscovered country'. All these foods and meals that if I take a little extra effort taste just as good or better than the junk I was eating.

So I am losing weight AND enjoying eating more. Just takes effort, it really does. I also find personally that when I start exercising as long as I do not overly dwell on goals, it feels really good also. Feels great in fact to use my body, it is a wonderful gift. Sometimes I do more than I thought I would, sometimes less. The key thing about exercise is I read once the best exercise is the exercise you do. So I try and remember that and do something each day. But I enjoy the positive aspect of what I do and do not think darn I did not do this much this day.

Anyhow the key to me has always been that internal moment when I say....food is to help me live and get healthy and yes to enjoy. But I do not enjoy food when I am abusing it or being lazy. And once I have that internal check saying is this good for me when I am making food choices, everything else seems to follow. And yes I eat things that are not good for me still but I eat slower and in moderation and at the end of the week I have eaten more good things than not and more importantly as that simple equation I started this post with, I usually end up burning more calories than what I consumed.

[changes]

I'm new here. I just clicked on your profile and saw your before and after pictures.

My first reaction was: Oh. My. Goodness!

You are absolutely beautiful and I am so very happy for you!

I'm about where you were and I'm just beginning, so your story is an inspiration. Bet you haven't heard that one before, huh? ;)

I've dieted again and again over the decades, losing and gaining more weight than I care to admit.

I'm now in my late 40s and going through perimenopause, and I can tell you one thing. Never again will I do the drastic deprivation thing, which can only lead to an ultimate weight gain (with rare exceptions, of which I am not one).

About a year ago, I decided to learn to cook so that I could make nutritious, enjoyable meals, rather than continue to live on the junky convenience foods I had come to rely on. I've come to depend on http://www.recipezaar.com, which is a site where real people share real recipes and give reviews and tips on recipes they've tried. I didn't single out "diet" foods. I just found recipes I liked and tweaked them where necessary to make it more healthy (i.e., subbing apple sauce for fat in muffins, cakes, breads).

A couple of months ago I finally found a reasonable replacement for my Classic Coke addiction, which is carbonated water with a twist of lime. I purchased a home carbonating unit from Sodaclub.com (I'm not affiliated) and I now enjoy my seltzer water more than I ever enjoyed Coke, and saving money to boot!

A year and a half ago I picked up some part time jobs that require some physical activity, which forces me to be less of a couch potato.

My point is I've been gradually making healthy changes in my lifestyle, and I'm finally at a place where I can begin my weight loss journey.

Until recently, I found myself occasionally sliding back to old habits, which resulted in me losing weight for a while and then sliding back to old habits and experiencing a gain. I've flucturated in a 15-pound zone.

I seem to have turned a corner. I enjoy my new eating habits and my stomach turns at the idea of eating some of that junk I used to love so I believe there will be less fluctuating.

It took me losing any concern for what others think of me so that the only reason I'm doing this is for my own health. I'm blessed to be very healthy now, and I want that to continue. So there's no pressure from within for me to meet some kind of time deadline to reach x weight.

Anyway, back to what set off this tirade by me: You were pretty before, and you're the picture of health now, which makes you even more beautiful, and I will again say I'm so very happy for you.

Thanks for sharing your success with us. You're doing more good for other people who are struggling than you can ever know.

[thistime]

Wow! I'm glad I read this, thanks so much for taking the time to post it. It's all stuff I knew, but as always, there is nothing like reading it again and again to make it sink in.

[txaopi]

I think eating often is the key! I eat every 3 hours, small meals of course! A packet of oatmeal is my usual! (Only 3pts/packet for you WW people!) I've lost 75 lbs in 8 months, so I'm doing something right! Now if I could just get my butt in gear to workout!

[Amarantha]

Congrats on your great success in the weight loss department, Jen!!!

I also have to eat at least every three hours or even more often. It really helps.

[Yellowsub]

Hello
Thank you very much for your wise statements.
I will try my best.
Kind regards
Yellowsub

[2CMEAGAIN]

Hi!
I need you in my head everyday!:smug: You pointed out what we all need to know & hear,but don't always believe.I've tried A LOT of magic potions & wish I had the $$$ back!:dizzy:
Angie

[Loving~Mommy2~4]

I think eating often is the key! I eat every 3 hours, small meals of course! A packet of oatmeal is my usual! (Only 3pts/packet for you WW people!) I've lost 75 lbs in 8 months, so I'm doing something right! Now if I could just get my butt in gear to workout!

So Jen do you eat oatmeal all the time???

[DawnJohn]

Hi,

Thanks for all the inspiring words, I've always known the key to losing my weight, I guess I just wasn't ready again until now. I don't even like looking in the mirror anymore, all I see is fat!! I never had a weight problem growing up, I was extremely active, running track, soccer, basketball, swimming, and walking back and forth to school 4 times a day. I could eat anything I wanted, but I had no figure (nickname was Dawn the Un"bra'wn). Now I have the boobs but I also have 70 extra pounds. My weight gain came on slowly after college, I became a couch potato.

I never really noticed that I was gaining weight until I saw pictures of myself on my honeymoon. That was my light bulb moment, so I joined WW in the new year and quickly dropped 25 pounds by chanign my eating habits and exercising to a Cindy Crawford video for 45 mins each day. I felt great and
people were noticing. My self esteem grew, then I found out I was pregnant with my first child :dance: I was so happy but had to quit the program( but only gained 24 lbs while pregnant), 8 months later I had my beautiful baby boy. After losing my baby weight I kept it off for a while but slowly over the next 3 years it crept back on and when I got pregnant:dance: with my daughter I was back up 20 pounds (whcih the doctore loved to comment on! :cry: )

Anyways, I was so sick with her that I couldn't stomach anything and lost 15 pounds during the pregnancy and once I had her I was smaller than I was before I got pregnant. I think I was just so happy to be able to eat that I ate anything in sight. Which brings me to the present, to another light bulb moment. I recently stepped on the scale and nearly passed out, it was 10 pounds heavier than I thought (hmm, no wonder my pants have felt snug!) and I am no on my way again, thanks to your positive comments and my determination to to follow this to the end. Like Meg I want to stand in that change room and try on that size 4 jean (well maybe even an 8).

Good luck to all of you, my heart goes out to anyone struggling like me, but with proper eating, exercise and a lot of determination we will succeed.

PS Thanks for letting me get this off my chest, I know its a little long!! ;)

Always,
Dawn :hug:

[KristinesShower]

I find that eating every 3 hours helps me too. I am on NS right now, but instead of doing it every day (I am afraid to go off and gain weight again), I do it every other day and sometimes I skip two days, then go back. I still eat great, but I am educating myself more about what I eat & I think this is really going to be the year!!

I like to load up on cereals lol I have about 20 of them in my cupboard right now and if I get hungry I take out my ½ cup and pour a little milk on it. It seems to be the only "in between" snack that satisfies me. Anything else makes me want to munch on more.

[Silverfern]

Mrs Jim From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for your inspiration and for quoting Meg's post here. It brought tears to my eyes. Five years ago I was a few pounds shy of my goal and loved feeling so powerful at the gym. I'd often spend a couple of hours there at a time and still not want to leave. I loved the way I felt, even more than the way I looked. Then I let everything get in the way and put all the weight back on and then some. I love this site and all the support available. I'm sure it'll help me keep my eye on the brass ring. Thank you again.

Cathyxxx Glucophage is another name for Metformin and is also used to treat insulin resistance in PCOS.

[MrsJim]

Wanted to make sure that *EVERYONE* (yes, even you, the casual lurker) got a chance to see these awesome posts by LovesBassetts :D (Thanks to Mel for bringing these to my attention!).

This is GOLDEN advice. GOLDEN.

The actual thread is located in the Support forum - see this link (http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72927).

Post #1 (http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1083818&postcount=2):

This whole weight loss thing has been 100% mental for me, too, and (like I said) my trainer has REALLY helped me shift my attitude and entire way of thinking about food, exercise, body fat, etc.

A couple of the biggest and best tips she's given me:

1. It's NOT about a number on a scale. It's about how your clothing fits.
2. Protein, protein, protein. Aim for 100 - 140 grams a day.
3. Be consistent. No excuses. If your goal is exercise 3 days a week, DO IT.

One thing she's really good at is asking great "why" questions when I have a complaint, comment, confession, etc. She's now gotten into my head (so to speak), so when I try to talk myself out of exercise or into a cookie, her "why" pops into my head. Example: if I eat something I really shouldn't have and vent to her about it, she says, "Why'd you eat it?" which makes me really think about it...and the answer is usually boredom, stress, or being tired. Then she'll say, "The next time you reach for something to eat, first ask yourself if you're actually hungry. If you're NOT hungry, ask yourself WHY you want to eat it." It's the same thing with exercise. Cardio, actually, which I despise. I was at the gym Friday and DID NOT want to get on the elliptical. I said to her, "I don't think I'll do cardio today." She said (of course), "Why?" I think I snorted and said, "I don't want to." She looked at me and said, "What DO you want?" LOL...and I said, "to be 135 lbs." So I solved that one on my own and got on the darn elliptical :D. She's just so fabulous about asking just the right questions at the right time to get me thinking about things...I hope that makes sense.

We also talk a lot about why I was heavy to begin with. And again, it's all about the "why" questions: Why did I gain 50 lbs in college? What was is about college that made me eat so much? Why do I hate vegetables and chicken and CRAVE pasta? Why did I never try to lose weight before? Why did I gain another 30 lbs while I was a teacher?

I won't bore you with all the answers to those questions about me, but I WILL tell you that by breaking down my entire life into little sections -- looking at the times when I gained weight, etc., her questions really helped me focus in on the fact that for me stress + depression = self-medication with food + weight gain. I never made that connection before, but she could see it as an objective observer simply by saying, "Why did you gain 30 lbs as a teacher?" and then listening to me babble on and on during our weight session about the correcting, the parents, the administration, and the sheer EXHAUSTION of dealing with 7th graders all day every day...

As I write this, I'm thinking now that these might be good questions to ask YOURSELF and maybe put down into journal form.

She also asks questions like, "When in your life did you feel MOST healthy?" and then of course, "Why? What was happening in your life then that was different?" And looking back at those healthier times in my life has taught me a lot about what I need in my life to BE healthy. If that makes sense...which it probably doesn't...LOL.

ANYWAY...

She also gave me a whole new perspective on the purpose of food. Which sounds mighty moronic, I know. But for me, food was either (a) bad for you but yummy, (b) good for you but disgusting, or (c) a good, loyal friend on a lonely Saturday night :p . And despite middle school health class, etc. I never *got* the fact that food is fuel. Food was something my mother never ate (she was anorexic), something my father OVER-ate (he was obese), and something I never learned how to prepare beyond the boil-water-insert-macaroni level. But when I first started out and she had me doing food logs, she went over absolutely everything I was and WASN'T eating. So I learned that my desperate need to sleep every day at 3pm was linked to the fact that all I ever ate was carbs. Etc...

I hope I answered your question, Robin...I fear I may have started babbling BIG TIME!!! As usual. :dizzy:

and post #2 (http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1084470&postcount=5):
To continue on with the food is fuel concept...

I used to drink something like 4 - 5 cans of regular Coke a day. And mentally I *thought* I needed it. Like I said, I was a teacher, and somehow I'd convinced myself that I needed the caffeine infusion all day -- 2nd period, 4th period, lunch, faculty meeting, the drive home, etc. When I started seeing my trainer, she said, "How many calories are in one can of Coke?" And LOL...I had no idea. And she taught me a concept that was utterly new to me: "empty calories." Being a nutritional disaster area, I'd never heard of that before. Once I realized I was taking in 500 - 1000 extra, useless, empty calories a day I was like "whoah!" and then took her previous advice to cut back.

I've always known what was "right" as far as food, but I never really understood the WHY -- the MATH behind it.

I also drink a ton of tea, usually in HUGE (10 - 12 oz) mugs...and I never thought about the 3 tablespoons of sugar I used to put in each mug. It makes me sound like an idiot, but I was chugging down hundreds of extra calories a day without even thinking about it...until she pointed it out. Again, she'd already suggested Splenda instead of sugar, but to me it was all about the TASTE of my tea. I think I said something like "no one messes with my tea" :dizzy: . But then she showed me the math. And it clicked.

She also emphasized something that a lot of 3FCers say all the time: BABY STEPS. If you try to change everything all at once, you're setting yourself up for failure. So I cut DOWN on the Coke -- I didn't quit cold turkey. I switched to Splenda. I started reading the nutritional labels on food. She taught me that carbs are basically sugar and that protein goes (practically) straight to your muscles.

I also thought you *had* to lose weight before you started weight training. For some reason I had always thought of the "get toned" process as something for thin people. I didn't know muscle burns calories at rest. I didn't know cardio only was only part of the exercise equation.

MOST importantly, I didn't think I could lose weight. I thought it was 100% GENETIC and that I was destined to be fat forever. My biological mother weighs probably 350 - 400 lbs. She needs a scooter to get around because she is so heavy. And I accepted obesity as my fate. After all, I'd ALWAYS been heavy (or so I thought). How could I possibly lose weight when I hadn't ever been thin? I didn't know what thin WAS.

But slowly....very slowly...she helped me to understand that it WAS possible. That I could do it -- anyone could do it with the right nutritional understanding, perserverence, commitment, consistency, and (most importantly) MINDSET. You have to believe you can do it. You have to tell the negative, self-defeating voice in your head to SHUT UP. And this was probably the hardest thing for me. But as long as you believe in yourself, if you trust the process despite the inevitable set-backs and occasional failures you CAN succeed. And it's easy for me to say that, but unbelievably difficult to put into action.

And the last thing I want to say is something that I wish I could shout from the rooftops: getting fit and healthy CAN change your life. When I complained about my weight in the past, friends would say "being thin won't change your life, Kate. You have to learn to be happy with yourself no matter what size you are." And while that's true on one level, I have to say that (for ME, at least) my life has improved 500% since I started losing weight. Telling my self I COULD do it -- and then seeing progress -- taught me I could do lots of OTHER things, too. I quit teaching, sold my house, and moved to the UK for a year to work on my dream of being a published writer. The old, fat, depressed and self-defeating Kate NEVER would have done that...but the confidence I gained by taking control of my life trickled into other parts of my life. I'm now back in school. I've started a new career that I LOVE. And (the best part) is that some of my writing IS published.

So I guess my (very long-winded :dizzy: ) point is that you have to have faith that all this hard work will not only pay off in weight loss, but it has the serious potential to change your life entirely. I have a confidence now that I haven't had since I was 16. I'm living two dreams simultaneously -- my writing career is (slowly) taking off, and I work with animals. I'm not a different person; I'm the "real" me now. And then there's the "superficial" stuff. I'm wearing size 8 jeans. I feel GOOD everytime I'm out in public. I'm happier, more relaxed, and more willing to interact with other people. I take risks now -- I do things I always wanted to do but never did because I told myself "I'm too fat" or "that takes too much effort," etc.

If there is one thing I want to tell EVERYONE, it's that all the work and struggle and frustration is absolutely, positively, without a single doubt, WORTH IT.

Tell yourself you can do it, and you can. :)

One of the unique things about the 3 Fat Chicks forum - and the reason that I rarely or never post at any other weight loss forum - is the fact that we have SO many *STARS* here with SO much valuable info to draw from.

IMO, LovesBassetts is worth more than a solar system of Kevin Trudeaus, Anna Nicoles, and all of the other 'miracle weight loss system' infomercial peddlers out there *AND a bag of chips* :dizzy:

Just my two cents!!

[MrsJim]

Mrs Jim From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for your inspiration and for quoting Meg's post here. It brought tears to my eyes. Five years ago I was a few pounds shy of my goal and loved feeling so powerful at the gym. I'd often spend a couple of hours there at a time and still not want to leave. I loved the way I felt, even more than the way I looked. Then I let everything get in the way and put all the weight back on and then some. I love this site and all the support available. I'm sure it'll help me keep my eye on the brass ring. Thank you again.

No problem...anything to help!

I know that one of the HUGE obstacles to surmount in weight loss (or heck, anything that's worth working for!) is "keeping your eyes on the prize".

I know a lot of people just DON'T care for the gym for whatever reason...the intimidation factor...convenience...fear...whatever. One of the GREAT things about a good gym atmosphere, however, is the MOTIVATION to stay on the path towards fitness, weight loss and overall optimal health - (before I became a gym rat, I used to get the same motivational buzz from Jazzercise) since everyone there is (presumably) after the same goals. It's KEEPING that motivational spark through your non-gym/exercise time that's the bugaboo!

(Kind of reminds me of that old Seinfeld episode where he finds out the rental car agency gave away his vehicle: "your problem isn't TAKING the reservation, it's HOLDING the reservation". :rofl: )

Journaling is a great tool to use to keep your 'eyes on the prize'. If it hasn't been made abundantly clear by now, it's not all those slick infomercial pills or gadgets or whatever that will make you lose weight - it's 90% head games. Getting the old brain in sync...focused on your goal of changing your habits and lifestyle...KWIM? ;)

[AHonda31]

Hi all I am new to this site. I found Mrs Jim's post to be awe inspiring.
Thanks;)

[MrsJim]

Hi all I am new to this site. I found Mrs Jim's post to be awe inspiring.
Thanks;)

Thank YOU! If my experiences and thoughts (such as they are) can be of assistance in finding the right path to healthy changes - that's all the reward and recompense I could ever ask for.

Additionally - I never have done, and do not ever plan to dispense advice for financial gain. As I stated in the beginning - there are no "deep dark secrets" to losing weight - it's a matter of "calories in-calories out" physically, and changing your mindset, mentally. I've seen so many folks write that they 'can't' lose weight like Oprah or other celebrities because they can't afford that pricey personal trainer or that expensive spa or what have you. PLEASE don't let that stop you - it comes down to goal-setting, planning ahead, motivation, and determination to succeed and 'keep on keepin' on'.

Oprah herself said it so succinctly in an issue of her magazine (http://www2.oprah.com/presents/2005/bootcamp/team/team_oprah_qa_11.jhtml)last year:

I've been trying most of my life to lose weight, but when I do, I can't keep it off. Now I can't stand to look at myself in the mirror. I work full-time and go to school, so it's hard to get to the gym. Could you tell me what has helped you, besides hiring a personal trainer, which I can't afford?

You say you can't bear to look at yourself in the mirror. I can relate. I felt that way every day I was more than 200 pounds. But I also know that you do not need a personal trainer or a gym to get fit. You need a decision. A decision on your part to take action, which means educating yourself about what to eat and making a commitment to start moving—a half mile, then a mile, two miles, one step at a time. My point is this: If you can't find time to work out, then you don't want to lose the weight. It's simply a matter of physics. So ask yourself what you're willing to do. And if you aren't prepared to exercise and cut down on your volume of food as a way of life, stop wasting time feeling bad about your weight and move on to something else.

I think I've said this before, but heck, if I can do this - lose weight and KEEP IT OFF permanently for (OMG!) sixteen years now (and this after being a chubby kid, an overweight teenager and an obese adult - meaning the odds of permanent weight loss were/are REALLY against me) then certainly YOU, or anyone out there, can do it. Without the gimmicks. Without spending money on 'advice' from 'diet experts' on the Internet and infomercials (not saying that there aren't some really great books out there - most of which you can get at your local library, such as Thin for Life by Anne Fletcher or Body for Life for Women by Pamela Peeke both of which are great sources of valid, realistic information).

Nowadays - my life is pretty sweet :cool: . I generally start every morning by heading out to the gym for my AM workout - yeah I know it sounds nutty, especially on a freezing cold dark morning - but it ENERGIZES me. Once you get into these HEALTHY habits, they can be very difficult to break, ya know :) As far as the eating thing...I think I eat like a 'normal person' at this point, although I endeavor to keep a 'clean environment' at home (trust me...this makes it SO MUCH easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle - if you don't have the crap in the house then you're a lot less likely to eat it!). But there are times when I go out to dinner or lunch on business or when I'm traveling - remember that I live in the San Francisco area which is a foodie mecca :)

If I'm at, say, Chez Panisse (which has a prix fixe menu each night) or French Laundry, I'm not going to ask the waiter to make me a plain chicken breast with steamed veggies on the side - I make sure I enjoy my dinner, and dessert if I want it. Hubby and I even go out for Mexican food or burgers and fries occasionally - I just don't feel compelled to get a large order of fries for myself - we usually just split an order between us, and I usually end up taking the leftovers home (which hubby has for lunch the next day!). It all comes down to retraining your brain, ya know? Instead of eating this stuff most every day of the week, keeping it down to once in awhile as a treat or special occasion. Good food can be a joyous part of life and home cooking can be a symbol of love; I'm reminded of a song written by buddy of my DH's which he wrote about his mom's soul food:

...I know something you may not know
what's good for your heart may be bad for your afro
you might live longer but it don't mean a thing
if the food that you eat ain't making you sing
mama's in the kitchen making something to please you
and when she's done ya'll just do it like I do
grab you a plate and a knife and a fork
stay away from them chitlins you shouldn't eat no pork...

A lot of it comes down in the end to BALANCE...balancing the special occasion once in awhile food with your STAPLES of lean protein, veggies, fruits and whole grains. There's a thread started by Meg some time ago in Maintainers called "We're Different (http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62059)" that is worth a read (heck most if not ALL of her posts are worth a read!!!). It might sound "unfair" but really it's not all that hard - just a matter of finding other hobbies in life besides 'recreational eating' and cutting down on the 'eating for pleasure'.

I give myself a 'five pound leeway' - if my weight creeps up by 3-5 pounds or I just feel bloated or whatever (you know, that Aunt Flo visit...) all I do is cut back a bit. The personal trainers at my gym have an easy system - just cut your calories by, say, 200 or 300 a day - the equivalent of 2 or 3 slices of bread - and keep up my regular exercise and the weight comes off fairly quickly and with minimal effort. Pretty easy, yes?

Food is an essential part of life but it's not the only one...okay I'm rambling here...

(PS...just thought SIXTEEN YEARS of permanent weight loss...man...I have nephews and nieces in Jr. High and High School that weren't even BORN yet...amazing how time flies - doesn't seem like that long ago but my life is so rich and full now - not just from losing the weight but that's definitely been a major catalyst!)

[aholden]

It is amazing that you can see the fruits of your labor after 16 years! I realize that time keeps passing me by. It is now the middle of March, and I wonder what I could have accomplished had I started eating healthy in January like I had planned. I know, though, that I don't want to be in this same place in June saying, "I wonder what I would be like if I had started back in March..." Thanks for the motivation. It starts today. As that new song says "Today is where your book begins - the rest is still unwritten" I love it! ~aholden

[girlshoes]

has anybody tried the rice diet?

[jillybean720]

has anybody tried the rice diet?
I'm not 100% sure what it is, but you should try the "watch your portions; eat lots of fruits, veggies, lean meats, fat-free dairy, and whole grains; exercise more; steer clear of refined and heavily-processed foods" diet--it's the only one that's proven to work! ;)

[Lill]

Ah Jill,

The voice of reason! I very much agree with you. In fact, Monday I had pizza! 3 small pieces instead of 4-5 large. When I want something I know is not that good for me, we buy smaller sizes. Like the pizza. Instead of buying 2 large ones, we bought 2 medium ones and I hope someday that we can get away with small ones. But I still have 3 growing preteens so it's going to be a while for that one!

Elva aka Lill

[Shirlee]

Hello, new member here, not new to weight loss or gain or loss or gain or.... well you get the picture! I have just found this thread and read a lot of it but... it's really a long thread so forgive me if I repeat any thing already covered. I concur with the search for the magic pill, potion, diet plan, exercise you don't even have to sweat with......... I found the answer to the all comsuming, oft asked question... How to lose weight and keep it off and keep your health too.... My formula is very simple:
"Eat Less + Exercise More = Success" It really is that simple, and I said simple not easy! I can tell you it's not easy, not by a long shot, and I know... believe me I know. I have however, finally found my goal weight at the end of 110 pds loss. I have kept that weight off for 14 years now, easy? NO... but worth the struggle? YES YES YES!! Follow a healthy plan, balanced, lower calorie with in a healthy range for you, exercise daily if possible, or as often as is possible. Find exercise you enjoy, walking is about the easiest and often the best choice. If you can't walk around the block, so what, you start by walking across the room, then out to the curb and back, then to the end of the block and so on till you can walk all you want. Anything you do that is more than you have been doing is success. Don't give up......... You are not a failure till you stop trying. I did this, you can do it to. I tried many, many fast diets, quick fixes, so sure there was something out there somewhere that would melt those 100 pds off FAST, and like someone said earlier in the thread........ I wasted a LOT of time looking for the magic that really was already inside me. That magic is the desire to do this for me, because I want to, I need to. So if you are still skeptical, still looking for some quick fix, please stop wasting time and just do it the right way, it's gonna take some time to lose........ it didn't sneak up on ya' while you slept one night.... it's not gonna go away that fast either. Come on, you can do this. Oh yes, if you are looking for a really great support group, TOPS (take off pounds sensibly) is IT! That's my plan and I'm stickin' to it. There is a TOPS thread here also. If anyone wants to know more I'll be happy to share info on it. Faith and hugzz to you all, Shirlee

[prov31lady]

:carrot: Hello
Glucophage or Metaformin is used for those who diabetic, but it also helps those who are Insulin Resistant.

Women who have PCOS use this along with a good diet, I use weight watchers to help them to loose the weight.

Check out any Polycysistic Ovarian Syndrome web

Kim