South Beach Diet Fat Chicks on the Beach!

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Old 06-05-2004, 10:42 PM   #1  
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Question Slow Losers/"Under 20 pounds To Go Club?"

Hi Chicks,

I'd like to hear from others who either consider themselves "slow losers" (you know, one pound down, 1/2 pound up, 1 1/2 pounds down, then stagnant for 3 weeks, 1/4 pound down, etc.....!!) OR have under 20 pounds to go, so loss is naturally slower.

I often get discouraged at this point when trying to lose weight, especially with all of the posts of folks who lose 8, 10, 15 pounds a month or more--I am very impressed, and admire your diligence--but it just doesn't ever work for me that way! Any words of wisdom, experiences, what works for others?

I know I can get to my goal weight, but I am trying to avoid getting into my "discouraged, so why try?" mode....

Thanks to all,

Jojo
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Old 06-05-2004, 10:46 PM   #2  
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Me again,

I thought I should post my "numbers":

5' 6"
SW-152
CW-148
GW-142 or maybe 137???

Thanks,

Jojo
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Old 06-06-2004, 09:12 AM   #3  
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I think the important thing to focus on is overall health and not always the number on the scale. (Hard for me to do!) Also, just feeling better overall due to good, "clean" eating and exercise.

For me, one of my goals in healthy eating and weight loss is to set an example for my daughter. I certainly don't want her to know that I obsess over the scale, but want her to grow up in a house where eating healthy and staying active is just something we DO.

I have about 12-17 pounds that I want to lose and it is coming off very slowly...... but I feel great, and have more energy than I have had in a long time. I am trying to pay attention to lose things. (Although the scale has almost been smashed to bits on several occasions! )
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Old 06-06-2004, 12:19 PM   #4  
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I have 15 more lbs to lose to reach my goal, and it seems my body just doesn't want to give up any more weight! It sure is comforting to know that others are having the same problems. One day the scale shows I've lost 2-3 lbs, and the next day I'm up 1 or 2 lbs!!! But I can really tell that I'm losing inches, my clothes are getting loser every day. So I guess that's a good sign. Anyway, I know that I'm eating healthy and getting plenty of exercise, and I feel great. Eventually I WILL reach my goal.
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Old 06-06-2004, 03:59 PM   #5  
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Default Don't worry...

Hey JoJo!

We're in the same boat -- I have little to lose, and have been a slow loser in the past so we'll see.

One thing I'll recommend, if you're not already doing it, is exercise. If you aren't doing much, and you add some, I almost guarantee you'll see bigger results. We can't just rely on eating -- we've gotta get our bums in action! (A lot of people think they can lose all their weight with no exercise, but if you really want to lose, especially the last 5 pounds, you've gotta do some light weights and cardio in order to tighten up.)

Good luck!

Eating to live, not living to eat,
Kim
SW 152/GW 120/CW 152
D1, W1, PH1!
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Old 06-06-2004, 06:52 PM   #6  
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i've lost a lot, and i still have a ways to go, but for 6 months i only went up and down at 180 and didn't lose a thing! it's frustrating and makes you want to give up hope!! i know. but hang in there, because now i'm finally down 6 pounds from that weight.
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Old 06-07-2004, 01:32 AM   #7  
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Default Thanks, Everyone!

I appreciate everyone's posts.

I do exercise, quite a bit, actually--I think that's the frustrating thing, that I don't have that "trick" in my back pocket. 5 days/week either running or cardio at the Y, and 2 days of weights too. It's been part of my routine for a long time. So I know that, for me, it's the eating end of things I need to work on most. I ate fairly healthy even before SBD, but know it's the "little things" that add up. Portion control will be my eternal struggle!

I know I am eating better on SBD--hardly any bread, and when I do it's a low carb tortilla or whole grain. Cereals--only bran or oatmeal, and not every day. Maybe eating too much fruit. I do drink some wine, and have to watch my chocolate intake. Virtually no cravings...

Holly--I appreciate your post, am impressed that you stuck with it at your 180 plateau! It's encouraging to hear that it was worth it for you. I really haven't felt deprived. It's just good to have a "reality check" with some other slow losers (although the chicks who post such big losses are also SOOO inspiring!).

Jojo
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Old 06-07-2004, 06:53 AM   #8  
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Holly That is so awesome that you stuck with it for 6 months and didn't give up!

My scale is not at all cooperating, but I feel (my clothes too) that I am losing.

We can do this ladies!!!
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Old 06-07-2004, 08:50 AM   #9  
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Good idea for a thread! I still have lots to lose but am a real turtle. Years of yo-yo dieting have screwed up my metabolism. The past four years I've been going down but very s l o w l y!
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Old 06-07-2004, 09:18 AM   #10  
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I can't tell what's "fast" and what's "slow"

I started losing weight in March of 2003 and have lost 53 pounds. Is that slow? Too fast? I mean in comparison to what I wish -- 3 lbs a week or more! -- it's a slow process. Then when I look at clothing size -- I've gone from a size 24 to a 16 now -- it's a bit faster.

Who knows.

I originally wanted to get down to a size 12 or 165 #, whichever came first. Now, who knows!
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Old 06-07-2004, 10:33 AM   #11  
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well, i can't say i was an *angel* those whole 6 months, biut i never totally gave up, i always forced myself to go to the gym, and i continued to maintain that i was losing weight. i believe it was because of that determination that i didn't gain during that time!

and yeah, i'm no stranger to the losing slowly thing, in general. i can never keep up the 2 lbs a week thing. 1 a week is closer to the truth, even when i'm perfectly on plan. i've been losing since august of 2002, and i've lost 70 lbs. that's an average of .7 pounds a week. heh.

well, as i like to say, at least i know i lost it the healthiest way possible, and it's gone for GOOD!
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Old 06-07-2004, 11:04 AM   #12  
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Unhappy

Here's my question... I've just started, and I'm already fearing that I won't lose anything because I already had fairly-healthy habits and moderate exercise.

Besides taking weight-loss drugs (ephedrine... shudder), is there any way to kick-start it once you plateau??

I'm really scared I might lose 5-lbs or something, and nothing more. Very scared.

Kim
SW 152/GW 120/CW152 (weighing-in weekly)
PH1/W1/D2
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Old 06-07-2004, 11:54 AM   #13  
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hi all!
well i'm in this club i guess since i'm about 24 pounds to goal (yay!0. i hav to say during the last week of phase 1 and starting phase 2, i barely lost a thing and was kinda discouraged. now i lose about 1 pound a week and i'm happy with that since the scale keeps moving in the right direction, albeit slow. however i knew i wouldn't lost like 10 pounds a month (i wish!) since I don't have as much to lose. and even though i get jealous hearing such rapid weight loss, i realize that we are all at different points in our weight loss so its not fair to compare.

the thing that keeps me gong is knowing that keeping on the diet and excersising WILL pay off eventually! theres just no way that going back to the way i ate before would be better for me. if i had given up in the early days i wouldn't be where i am now, my thinnest in a year! i haven't truly plateaued yet (thank god) but i will implement the same philosophy when i get there.

also i just thought, if this south beach thing doesn't work, then i'll just have to be overweight forever and that thought just keeps me OP and keeps me motivated. i still dont' understand how ppl dont' lose weight if they follow this properly! cause its the only diet that i've seen such consistent effective weight loss.

also just to keep blabbering on, everyone is saying that having a consistent slow weight loss is also better for keeping it off in the long run, so lets not be discouraged!!!

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Old 06-07-2004, 12:14 PM   #14  
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I'm a slow loser. I guess my definition of a fast looser is someone who can loose 2 pounds a week every week. I tend to loose a pound stay there a couple weeks, then gain a 1/2 pound, stay there a couple weeks, then loose a pound.

I'm just happy the scales continue to stay about the same or go lower. I don't obsess about the 1/2-1 pound gains. I figure it's due to more salt the day before, then I drink extra water.

When I hit a long stall I go to fitday and enter in all I've been eating. Sometimes I find that I'm not eating enough, maybe less then 1000 calories a day. More recently I find that instead of eating roughly 1200-1400 calories, I'm topping out around 1800 calories a day. Oops. A few too many servings of nuts and ricotta desserts

I know, we aren't supposed to count calories. I don't do it on a regular basis, just when ever I haven't lost any weight in a month or so. Just to give me an idea of what I'm doing.

The nutritionist I saw in January, before I started South Beach, told me that stalls or platues are normal. She believes in a modified set point theory.

Set point is the weight range in which your body is programmed to weigh and will fight to maintain that weight. Some researchers believe that it is "set in stone" others believe that you can train your body into accepting a new set point.

In the first few weeks of dieting, weight is usually lost, but almost always gained back. Many people become frustrated because after a few weeks of dieting, they usually stop losing weight or start gaining it back, even though they are still restricting their food intake. That is a sign that the body is trying to fight to retain it's natural weight.

The nutrionist I saw believes that a set point is a factor but we can adjust our set point in time.

She said to expect platues, loose about 10%, then allow your body to get used to the new weight. Keep exercising and eating properly, maybe change your excersice routine occasionally, more minutes each day or higher intensity a few days a week. Make sure you haven't gotten careless with your eating plan. And eventually you can loose another 10% of your body weight, platue again, loose another 10% etc.

She said to not get discouraged because it is natural. And it means that when we loose the weight, it will stay off longer because we are doing it properly.


It's still hard not to be discouraged when the scale doens't move for weeks.
Sarah
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Old 06-07-2004, 04:01 PM   #15  
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Thanks for all the great reflections and posts....

Sarah, great idea re: posting food intake on Fitday if you haven't lost in awhile. I could stomach doing that for a limited time--it would probably give me good info. But one of the main reasons I tried SB is because I was so FRIGGIN tired (!!!) of "counting stuff"--calories, points, carbs, whatever! It really takes the joy out of eating for me, and stresses me out. So when I saw that SBD doesn't require counting anything (well, 15 almonds, okay, and 75 cal of sweets/day, etc.) I decided to give it a try. That is a big part of what is keeping me on SBD, because it feels so normal and liveable to me....But once in a while it would probably be a good idea to keep close track of calories, just to be sure I'm not "fooling myself..."

Another idea that occurred to me while reading your posts was to maybe incorporate the whole "Wendie Plan" principle with SBD. Has anyone tried that? Wendie Plan is a sort of modified Weight Watchers, where you vary the "point level" (and hence calories) over a week's time, so the whole week you eat about the same points week to week, BUT, you have some very low point/calorie days and one "Super High Day." Idea is to "trick" your metabolism into thinking it's NOT going to starve, because of the variation day to day and the Super High Day. It blows my wish not to "count stuff," but I suppose you could do it without actually counting. Maybe have a few days with no sweets or wine, then one day that includes more of the "goodies." Whattaya think?

Yeah, Jenne, I suppose the whole slow/fast thing is really arbitrary. I need to think "big picture," not week to week...

Blessings to all,

Jojo
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