Unfortunately, those kinds of pounds lost usually come right back on.
How did everyone do over Thanksgiving? My weight stayed the same, but I feel like I gained weight. I'm not walking as much since the snow started flying, so maybe that's it. I need a good exercise plan for the winter. Anyone have any good ideas? Does anyone use the Wii Fit stuff?
Hiya, Artcat & Gail! Thanksgiving (and the days surrounding it) were a little nuts, calorie-wise. I had stopped posting my #'s on fitday for several weeks, and it shows on the scale! I am up to 189 +/-, but have started on fitday again. I just wanted a break - after nearly 2 years of keeping track....that, and a real craving to bake and cook! It's like that creativity just HAD to come out! So, when DH's friend dropped off 18 (!?!?!!!) pheasants, I smoked the breasts and made confit with the legs. Did you know that confit is nothing more than duck or pheasant legs cooked in fat?!?! Chicken fat....deadly stuff....in more ways than one. That lead to making venison stew and canning 8 jars of it, for future suppers. Then the cookie cooking started...well, you can guess where that led!
And, since going back to work in September, I haven't been working out at all. I have the WiiFit - and have used it ... just not recently! Gotta carve out some time for ME again - the treadmill is presently being used to hang clothes. Not good.
I had a parade of people visiting and staying with us during the weeks surrounding Thanksgiving, so it's hard to not respond by baking and cooking for them. Now that things have quieted down I don't have any more excuses. My husband's into making jerky lately, so we now have beef, venison, wild turkey and whitefish jerky around the house. I'm not sure how bad it is for you- I know it's really high in salt. I think we'll freeze most of it and give it away around Christmas.
This is also my busy time at work, so I usually respond by eating away my stress- that's where I'm hoping the exercise will come in, to replace the emotional eating. We're getting ready for a big winter storm, so at least I can count on getting some shoveling in!
Cooked in chicken fat! I suppose that's one of those things that you only eat a tiny bit of every 50 years or so. I admire you for knowing what to do with all that game.
Well, I will share that our family does not celebrate events so we do pass by the tempting foods and such. After this most recent event, folks came back to the office with lots of extra pecan pies and goodies. I passed these up as I recently felt a need to buckle down again to my volumetrics, calorie counting, and exercise.
I was just on line and found that I have "jumper's knee" which means I need to drastically scale back walking and exercise. It means that I'll need to rely on just my volumetrics and CC for a couple weeks. The websites sound worrisome so I hope I'll resolve the problem quickly. I need to be very conservative with the rest before getting back to jumping or squats. Argh, just when I was thoroughly enjoying my exercising. Well, that's probably the problem. I get too enthusiastic.
So, I wonder if there are any folks out there interested in sharing our volumetrics and calorie counting logs, meals, strategies, etc. I'm hoping to make it down to my final goal weight by my year anniversary of starting this weight loss plan.
I'd love to have this thread active. As you can see, I was the last to post and it was December. I've been enjoying more voluemtrics-style meals and continue to be a big proponent of this type of eating. I do know that there are many ways to success, though, so I don't devalue other ways.
For my recent meals, I've actually---gasp---gone without any dressing on my salads! I can't tell you how shocking that is but I'm so pleased with the ingredients I've topped my romaine hearts and spinach. My goal is usually enjoyability first within the volumetrics style but I'm always looking at my food groups with special attention to calcium, protein, and iron content. Last night's salad had chopped pickled herring with onions & soynuts. I want something that totally ZINGS my taste buds. So, another salad I enjoy has cranberries, parmasene, fresh ground horseradish, and soynuts. I sometimes substitute chopped prunes or raisins. On my sub sandwiches, I'm famous locally at subshops for my substitution away from mayo by requesting tons of chopped pickles. Hmmmm. It's DEE-licious.
More ideas are so welcome. I love to talk excercise, food, and positive motivation. More the merrier.
Last edited by iaradajnos; 05-07-2010 at 05:32 PM.
I'm still here! I know that for me, personally, it's been difficult to think about this thread without thinking about losing Meowee, but I realize that life must go on, and she would have preferred that her work not have been wasted.
I've been pretty well stuck where I was at the last posting. I've continued to eat well and exercise, but I think my body's looking for something different. I loved the idea from someone here about eating stuff on torn fresh spinach, so every time we have chili or spaghetti or something like that, I cram it full of veggies and then serve it on the spinach. I think it's pretty good.
I've also discovered TVP- Textured Vegetable Protein. You rehydrate it and use it like you would ground turkey. It's great in spaghetti sauce, chili, etc.
That's all I have for now- I'm curious to see who's still around-
I am glad I found this thread. I have the book Volumetrics by Barbara Rolls, and I have gone through a lot of the old threads by searching "volumetrics". I found references to a few good books I bought. The best is The Diet Denominator which is a true Volumetrics program, and I am following that.
I don't know why this way of eating is not more popular. I am glad to see this topic revived, and I would like to be part of this thread and keep it going.
So, I'm wondering what keeps a "volumetrics" thread alive? What would we like to discuss? I like talking recipes, motivations, challenges, and such.
I've been reading the monthly mag "Prevention" they've got many of the strategies that I follow. Now that I'm 1 1/2 years in to my volumetrics lifestyle, I kind of get it and read through each month's volume quickly. I personally feel like it's important to find folks living the same lifestyle and supporting that, finding the fun in it and the like. I just can't find anything new. Volumetrics is a simple strategy that I'm becoming instinctive with. It's keeping it fresh. In the beginning, I read every mag, website, blog, etc. I never had anyone around me interested in volumetrics--even though there were many people trying to lose weight.
Each month, I'd be four or six pounds thinner and they'd say "way to go, what do you do?" I'd get excited and start talking but they'd lose interest. I think the biggest reaction was the disbelief that "water-rich" foods can be enjoyable.
What do you think are the reasons you can eat the voluemtrics way?
Well, for me it's because I don't have to count anything. At least that's how I work it. I know a lot of folks still count calories using volumetric principles. I don't and won't.
I use the suggestions in the Diet Denominator book and keep most of my foods at ED 3 or less. Usually less. In fact when I finally gave up nuts, which have a very high energy density, I really started to lose. I know we can have small amounts of higher density stuff, but for me personally, I just avoid them except in small quantities in recipes.
So yeah, after the initial figuring of the caloric density of food or recipe, I know what I'm eating and just enjoy.
I was looking for a plan that didn't involve any counting. I tried South Beach and didn't like it. I even tried the Weight Watchers Core plan (now called the Momentum plan), and it was close to what I wanted, but still I didn't like counting weekly points for treats, etc.
So here I am. And as a disclaimer, I have to be honest and add that I'm starting over again. After several months of very high personal stress, the most emotional stress I've ever experienced in my life, I wandered away from what I was doing and ballooned.
But I'm back. That's all that matters. My husband is following this with me and we are very satisfied. I don't think I'll ever wander again - I would be a fool to.
I also found that I can't count calories. For some reason, it brings out the worst in me. I do as themiddleway initially did, too, like figure out the basic value of the foods you tend to eat a lot, and then just take it from there. I try to automate my breakfast and lunch as much as possible so I don't have any question about what to eat, and what do I feel like, etc. I have been grabbing nuts as snacks, though, and I know I need to stop that. It seems as if things slowly creep up on you and unless you stop and look at everything with clear eyes, and reevaluate what you're eating, it's easy to stay stuck in the bad habits. I think having this thread come alive again would help me get out of my rut.
I haven't read the Diet Denominator- I'll have to check the library and read it. I have found it very useful to cook up large amounts of good soups and freeze it in small cups to use as snacks or before meals.
Hello all,
I have just spent the last 1hr reading the last 6 pages for this way of eating you call "volumetrics". Interesting it has been what I do.....when I do try to lose weight. I, at one time lost 30 lb doing a verson of weight watchers by incorporating these principles. I have not read these books but I definetely will. Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. She must have been an inspiration. I do hope that this thread continues. Thanks for the motivation.
So, I'm pleased to have chatting here too. (Just wanted to get that out there). I think that ArtCat and themiddleway are experienced folks. Is "counting" necessary once you've kind of figured most of it out?
I do get the "no counting" strategy (if that's the right word? maybe "philosophy"?). For me, I think of that as something I can only do now because I'm very well informed about my own food preferences, grocery/restaurant options, body/life issues, and schedule.
I started everything last Jan 09 with an epiphany & finding Barbara Rolls' book then learning portion control, the values of food (calorie, nutrition, density), and finding enjoyment PLUS control in food.
For me, I just had no idea of portioning or about food in general. So, last year I think I needed to learn about food in general and I used the Volumetrics "door" to enter that building of thought. (If that analogy makes sense). As I "mastered" food vis-a-vis me (and all my good and bad qualities), I have been more able to personalize my strategy and start experimenting with just living.
By August 09, I felt very confident on food but then spiraled out of control with my body (I had over done certain exercises that I LOVED but my body just couldn't do at that extreme level). From August onwards, I had to really learn how to LIVE and not rely on exercising 1000 calories off the next morning. For nine months or so, I ate 1350 or so calories and kicked butt on exercising. But without high impact exercise, I did gain weight--my scale broke (Taylor scales are not good)--but don't really know how much.
Now, it's May, post physical therapy, and I feel so much better physically but also food-wise. I just get myself now. I know that I will need (at least over the next few years) to plan in periods where I sharpened up my food to correct and kick out all the bad habits that I let in from laziness, stress, emotional eating, and just plan "unawareness".
When I started losing weight last year, I gave myself a three year plan. First year---95 to 100 percent compliance on food plans and exercise. Second year--80 to 95 percent compliance with expectation of possible yo-yo gains and occassional binges. Third year--flexibility with better control, less yo-yo gains, and less binging.
I'm about half way now. I'm almost back to my August (thinnest/strongest) weight. I do think the only way I was successful last year was because I almost never had an off day. I planned (and counted) everything. It was so empowering because I kept on plan for eight months even when my father-in-law passed away and my husband left the country to be with his family hours later leaving me with two small kids and a very busy Spring. I was so proud that I was rolling with Life's challenges--illness, missing spouse, small injuries, busy work, etc.
Now, I need to know that I can never drop less than about 85 percent compliance. Meaning that I can only take off two days in a week for my evening yoga and PT exercises--I need those no matter if I'm exhausted or sick. I know I'll just get worse if I don't stay vigilant. I also know that I can't miss my morning dvd aerobic exercises (three to four each week). I also know that I will likely always have to eat volumetrics-style food and stay with four small meals most days.
I only count now because I'm trying to really get these last pounds off. I was a size 6-8 last August. I'm now a solid 8 (no sixes). I really would like to see if I can become a solid 6 as I can feel like that's a possibly sustainable size for me. So, I'm back to portion control, counting, and journaling. But otherwise, I feel like I'll be pretty good without counting for a maintenance strategy (as long as I build in the occassional "sharpening" periods).
