It's May here, but we're not really warm yet. I'm sure it'll come - it has every year so far, LOL.
I made it through an over busy week. Being too busy does tend to help reduce snacking. That part was good. Unfortunately, most of the events produced food along with friends to talk with over the food. That was more of a challenge.
Good morning all! We have a new month, one where the warm weather finally comes in my part of the world. I'm looking forward to putting away my jacket near the end of the month.
Did my monthly weigh in and my weight is unchanged. Sitting at 137 lbs. which is in the lower part of the range my body wants to weigh in the colder months.
I'm looking forward to eating more salads and fruit as the weather warms up.
Weather here is up and down. Saturday we saw 77 and it was 80-something yesterday. Clouds and rain followed by sunshine. This week will be a mixture of both with Thursday (I think) being the coldest of the week. That is the day we have a golf tournament, so the cool weather will actually be nice. The past few years we've done a golf tournament that raised money for autism and the money went to local places that help autistic youth. Last year was the 20th year of the tournament and we looked forward to this year's tournament. And they cancelled it. And the golf store that put it on suddenly went out of business. That was sad. I don't know what caused all of this. The store had two locations here and one in Florida and all three closed. I have a friend who knows the family but she hasn't heard the reason, either. Anyway, the golf tournament this week is for the local YMCA.
We're having continued success with Ringo kitty. He hasn't been under the bed for two days and he comes out and sits with us when we're watching TV. Being much more social and seemingly happy, but still peeing in the sink. I've ordered some stuff from Jackson Galaxy which I hope will help once it arrives.
Wow. I'd been seeing stuff all over Facebook about The Biggest Loser, but didn't read in until you posted the link, saef. While I didn't feel haunted, it did reinforce what I've felt all along--that my body wants to be this weight. I weigh what I weighed in high school. I didn't like it then, and I don't like it now, but it's as if my body says this is my normal and it wants to keep me normal. I think I'd rather be abnormal!
Reached goal weight in 2007, kept at that weight for a year and a half, and then began fighting a losing battle.
Maybe one can offset the lowered metabolism with vigorous daily exercise, but the time will come when for some reason or another, one can't keep that up. Plus I've gotten older, which means even lower metabolism.
Restricting calories leads to even lower metabolism, so then one is in a vicious circle.
Re "The Biggest Loser" I wonder if some of it has to do with the amount of time they have to win the show and take off a huge amount of weight? Maybe too much too quickly messed up their metabolisms?
It took me close to a year to take off 22 lbs. and I've put 6 back on but I've maintained my current weight with very little problem for close to 2 years now. I do have a physically active job and I have to watch what I eat to a certain extent but I'm no longer counting calories, forcibly restricting them, or doing many of the other things I did to diet. I weigh myself once a month and it's consistently in the same 3 lb. range.
I feel very sad for the people from "Biggest Loser". Going from obese to regular weight and then not being able to maintain a healthy weight must feel so frustrating. Some of them may even be despairing. So hard.
I read that article today as well, and agree with Dagmar that losing weight as quickly as they did is probably half of what made their metabolisms so low. The other half is, I think, the sheer amount of weight loss. I don't think it's a coincidence that the only one to successfully maintain (actually, even enhance) her weight loss was the woman with the least weight to lose. And if you look at the "Regaining Lost Weight" graph, individual contestants' regain tracks systematically with how much they lost- the more lost over the same period of time, the harder the rebound. What is unclear from this "experiment" is whether regain is proportional purely to the total amount of weight lost, or the # of pounds per month lost. For the sake of all those who have lost 100 pounds or more, I hope it's the latter.
I remember having a number of debates on this and other 3FC boards in years past regarding whether resting metabolic rate was truly variable from one person to another (of equal body mass), and most people concluding that it was not; that lean people were naturally pickier eaters and/or moved around more during the day. Standard medical/metabolic doctrine says that your RMR doesn't drop very much at all when you lose weight, and quickly rebounds if you stop losing and maintain.
I don't think the "standard medical/metabolic doctrine" takes into account what happens when obese people lose weight, versus those who I call the "worried well" who want to drop ten pounds or so. Something different seems to be going on.
I, too, was wondering if taking off weight so quickly could be an issue. My own anecdotal experience--100 pounds in four years, maintained for almost 10 years. In the last couple of years, since I turned 60 actually, I've lost more weight (on purpose) and managed to maintain it. The one thing I have noticed is that what I eat, rather than how much, determines whether or not my weight goes up or down.
What a bummer for those contestants. They really went through a lot, and so publicly, to lose that weight, and it must be incredibly disheartening to watch that scale number rise.
But there are those of us, myself included, that have lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off, after being heavy for decades. And some of the contestants do keep the weight off. So, what is the difference between those that keep it off and those that don't? I don't know. I continue to exercise most days and I count calories, but I have splurges and days I don't exercise. I gain weight quickly and easily but if I buckle down, I can take it off again. That being said, I'm under 50 (barely) so it may get more difficult for me down the road. I haven't lost as much as Sheila, but I have lost a considerable amount and have kept it off.
By the way, Dagmar, I meant to congratulate you yesterday on successfully navigating the winter months and staying where you wanted to weight wise!
This week is Teacher (Staff) appreciation week at school and I definitely felt appreciated yesterday. Two students each gave me $25 amazon gift cards, so now I'm debating what to get. I buy stuff practically daily on Amazon but it's usually not fun stuff-- if you had $50 to spend, what would you get? I'm thinking something I wouldn't normally get myself, but I have no idea what that would be!
My dd's house closing is scheduled for Friday but we are doubtful the mortgage company, title company, etc. will be ready then. It will highly disrupt matters if it doesn't happen then, as we have younger dd scheduled to fly there Saturday morning to help her with painting, handyman stuff, etc... Not sure if we should change her flight but she may not be able to go later... So, at this point, we are waiting and crossing our fingers....
I often wonder how the method of loss impacts the long term. I work with two different people who did ultra low diets to lose weight quickly. One is a woman who took HCG shots and ate 800ish calories per day. She gained it all back plus some, and has struggled with her metabolism being off kilter ever since. The other is a man who did 1000 calories per day with ultra high protein. He lost a huge amount of weight, has maintained it for years, and has no trouble. Both lost their weight in about 75 days, both roughly 30% of their body weight at the time. I lost 80 pounds initially, and I struggle with regaining and feel like I have never had the RMR that all the resources say I should have. I feel bad for the BL contestants, it has to be hard for them being so public.
I lost my 60 pounds quite slowly over 8 years and added resistance training to my life during that time period. I'm at my lowest weight ever and do not have trouble maintaining.(Not yet, anyway) That's probably because I am very consistent with my food and with getting my daily steps. I eat around maintenance 8 out of 10 days (2100-2200 cals) and will drop calories a bit the other two days. I think it is possible to lose without screwing up your metabolism but you need to do it slowly and in a way that maintains or increases your muscle mass. I am over 60.
Maintainers Weekly Chat May 2 - May 8
We have a new month, one where the warm weather finally comes in my part of the world. I'm looking forward to putting away my jacket near the end of the month.
