How did I start?
I jumped in with both feet. I got on scale and it read 320; I started that day. Quit pop ( soda for some of you ) immediately. Cut my carb intake and started exercising... THAT DAY! That evening I put on some music and danced around for about 30 minutes. Did that everyday for the first 30 days and lost 16lbs.
Did I ever want to throw in the towel?
Having one of those moments right now. I am losing inches but the numbers on the scale haven't moved in about a month. That frustrates me to no end. I know I'm making progress, but I need to see those numbers as proof. But I will not quit. I did that before and gained 28lbs back. I know how that feels and I never want to go back there. Even when I feel like this, I kill the negative self talk and push on. I am breaking up with my scale until May. It's bringing me down; this toxic relationship we have is not good for either one of us...I will take that scale DOWN! lol
How strict am I?
Not very strict at all. If I want it, I have it. On a much smaller scale though. For example: I'll have just a few chips (I'll actually count out about 10) instead of a bag. Let's say I want McDonalds, I'll get a kids meal (minus the cheese and the soda pop) sometimes I'll even skip the fries. I want pizza, I'll have a small slice with a side salad instead of 2 slices. I'm much happier if I don't deny myself, but I do try to keep these treats to a minimum... Maybe 2 a week. I want something I can stick to for life and saying no to things I like, permanently, just won't work for me.
What has gotten easier, and what has remained difficult?
Portion control is so much easier, since I cant physically eat as much as I used to.
Saying no to things I shouldn't have is easier knowing that if I really really want it, I will allow myself a small indulgence. Exercise is another story. I have to make myself get off my arse most days, but once I'm up that hour just flies by.
Last edited by Lovely7809; 01-19-2010 at 04:00 AM.
I pulled out my Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers guides to eating (plans I'd been on and lost weight with, only to gain the weight back, and sometimes then some), made a journal to track my weight and other progress, got a scale, and started walking.
Was there ever a point where you wanted to throw in the towel?
no, but I had many times when I thought I wouldn't be able to do it.
What's your diet and exercise plan and did it change from how you began?
1800 calories, following basic JC/WW eating plan. the diet plan has only changed in that I've worked on eating healthier and being better at sticking to it. Exercise has evolved and continues to change, right now it's 3 days at the gym, I exercise at home (crunches, side bends, etc), and I walk.
How strict are you?
I struggle with consistency. Some days are much better than others. Eating out is difficult, even making good choices at a restaurant, I've found, isn't the same as eating at home. I always feel like the calories get ramped up eating out. I'm a chocoholic too, so I have to be careful about that.
What's gotten easier, and what continues to remain difficult?
for me, many aspects of the diet and exercise have gotten much easier -- I've been doing this a few years. passing by goodies, eating less when I do indulge, exercise (I love going to the gym, yeah, sometimes I drag my feet, I'm only human, but I do love it). I use to give myself a day off dietwise once a week, now I don't feel the need to. I use to be an ice cream fanatic, now I'll have a scoop maybe a couple of times in the summer, I don't miss it. It doesn't feel like so much of a deprivation to not eat a lot of stuff that wasn't helping me healthwise.
I still stress eat to a certain extent. and like I said above, restaurants are tough for me. I love to eat out, but it doesn't help my diet. Night time snacking, nothing serious, but I find that it doesn't take a lot to slow down my progress.
I had to work on a lot of emotional eating issues, and get past binge eating, and bad habits, and that childlike mindset of I want to have the food and you can't stop me! ha.
Years of denial had to end. Years of mentally photoshopping my image & being shocked painfully by the reality of photographs. Years of not standing on the scale, thinking I was intuitively regulating my weight & intake. Years of thinking, "Yes, but I'm as fit as the average person. I can still walk all day in Manhattan. I'm fit but fat." Dire warnings from my doctor had no immediate effect, but they lingered in my mind. I've mentioned elsewhere that, on a business trip, I went to bed in a Las Vegas hotel after indulging in a buffet dinner & woke up sweating, with a racing heartbeat, feeling awful & frightened & wondering if I would die. I still do not know if it was a panic attack or a blood sugar fluctuation combined with an upset stomach. But I was terrified. The denial had to end so that I could stand on a scale, face the number & start planning. Initially, that meant cutting out anything with sugar or fat & walking every day, no matter what the weather.
Quote:
Was there ever a point where you wanted to throw in the towel?
Every day, at some point. It's usually when something else is bothering me, when I am over-tired & need to rest, when I have something difficult to face related to another part of my life & so it makes all my challenges seem insurmountable.
Quote:
What's your diet and exercise plan and did it change from how you began?
I began by wanting to be "normal," whatever that is when so many people are overweight & obese. And now I want to be athletic.
For me, exercise leads to building my confidence, which leads to me trying other new forms of exercise.
I started by walking hard & fast for an hour every day. In bad sneakers. When I was nearly 250 pounds. I tried running intervals. I soon discovered my feet were in bad shape -- I got plantar fasciatis & discovered that I had arthritic toe joints. Also, the weather in the Northeast got nasty. So I had to seek out indoor alternatives. That led to my buying padded bike shorts & entering the gym on-site at my company's headquarters & that gym culture. Then I started using weights. I tried yoga. I tried Pilates. I tried swimming.
Quote:
How strict are you?
Put it this way. I sometimes feel I've resigned or am trying to set myself apart from the world at large, because I am sworn (by blood) to belong to a cult that rejects "worldliness" in the form of processed food & bad additives. I'm joking, but yeah, I'm pretty vigilant. Actually, I have to work at the opposite problem, of not being too orthodox & not beating up on myself when I have to "settle" for something that doesn't meet my standards or miss a day's workout. I keep warning myself that this could lead to my feeling the whole project is too onerous & giving up entirely, as a rebellion against my own strictness. I have to work on the "balance" thing.
Quote:
What's gotten easier, and what continues to remain difficult?
Making educated choices is easier, since I've built up a store of knowledge about food & cooking. Going to the gym is easier, because I feel as if I look like someone who belongs there.
Maintaining my balance continues to be difficult. Trying not to be overzealous.
Being part of the larger world & not closing myself off in my little cult, as I've described -- that's hard.
Dealing with the uneasy feeling of not being able to participate in a large part of the popular culture -- would never buy this, won't go to that restaurant, won't eat or do that, EVER -- remains hard. Why do I always come back to hating advertising & signage? All those images surrounding me -- of gooky barbeque ribs, fried chicken, vats of melted chocolate, etc. -- and me rejecting all of them. Like someone sworn to celibacy & forced to wander through porn many hours of the day. It's very tiring sometimes.
I started by eating too many frozen meals along with low-cal salads. I cut out sweets and fast food COMPLETELY. Two things pushed me over the edge--seeing a photo of myself and stepping on a WII and it registering OBESE! Wow. I couldn't believe I had let myself get that way. In addition, I have three first-degree relatives with serious illnesses.
Was there ever a point you wanted to throw in the towel?
Yes and no. Am I still tempted to eat things I shouldn't. Yes. Have I ever felt that my journey wasn't one I cared about and should abandon? No. Never. Not even for a millisecond!
What is your diet and exercise plan?
After losing about 20 pounds eating frozen dinners I started doing tons of reading. I decided whole foods/calorie counting was the way for me to go. It made perfect sense to me. A few days in and WOW. I loved it. AND more importantly, it was working! I started walking about the same time and then progressed to running. Now, I look for all sorts of ways to get activity in!
How strict are you?
As I have gotten closer to my ultimate goal I have actually added calories back in to my day. I continue to stay active. I still don't eat fast food and very, very few sweets. I revamp nearly every recipe I make. Less oil, less butter, no white flour or white rice, super lean meats only, etc.
What has gotten easier and what remains difficult?
Many things have gotten easier. Knowing what to eat when I go out. Always knowing what to eat when I am on the road. Figuring out ways to get activity when the weather is bad or I am traveling. Etc. My movement is easier. In many ways it is easier to turn down food at social gatherings and in people's homes, etc. Throwing food down the garbage disposal has become easier--as I have someone in my life that loves to bring food we don't eat over here. Walking with my family to the donut shop and only getting coffee is easier.
Finding my balance is still somewhat difficult. I use my scale frequently. My main struggle is between 5-9 pm. Otherwise, I don't have any problem--this is the time of day I naturally want a very full feeling and find myself snacking and rambling in the kitchen when I shouldn't be.
Why do I always come back to hating advertising & signage? All those images surrounding me -- of gooky barbeque ribs, fried chicken, vats of melted chocolate, etc. -- and me rejecting all of them. Like someone sworn to celibacy & forced to wander through porn many hours of the day. It's very tiring sometimes.
Oh man, this really jumped out at me. That's it exactly! I just saw a commercial for KFC a few minutes ago. My gut reaction was "ugh" when I saw the huge quantities of food swimming in gravy and butter. But nearly instantly, my mind switched and I thought....."KFC. That looks good. I want chocolate. I should go to the store." I mean, it was like Pavlov's dogs, it immediately triggered all kinds of craving. And I had just finished eating lunch!
How did I start?
Baby Steps! I started with exercise which is the easiest thing for me. After a couple of months I started working on my food and portion control. Then I started drinking tons of water. I never could have made all of those changes at once. Small changes over time worked for me.
Did I ever want to throw in the towel?
Yep! I still do have my own private pity party sometimes. But then I look at how far I have come and how successful I have been that I get over it pretty quick. Most of this lifestyle (not a diet) has become habit for me. I don't want to go back to living like that. I felt awful, physically and emotionally.
How strict am I?
Not as strict as most. I am pretty strict about exercise, but not so much with food. I knew that I would not be able to stick with this if I could never again eat some cookies, brownies or chips. I do still eat those things, but I make sure that they are really high-quality (like homemade) and in moderation. This has to be sustainable for me.
What has gotten easier, and what has remained difficult?
Like I said, this lifestyle has for the most part become a habit for me. The difficulty lies in making sure that my eating stays on track. I cannot eat like a pig (especially on the weekends) and expect to remain a size 6-8 just by exercise alone.
Medication shut down my metabolism and caused a fast 60 lb. weight gain in 2005. At some point, when ALL diet programs failed, I realized I HAD to get off the medication....took me about a year to get that done nice and slowly. Then...my metabolism started to work a bit...as I could now actually eat and not keep GAINING weight (I had barely eaten on the medication yet kept gaining weight)......but my all-time favorite diet was Atkins and I was having difficulty getting it to work. So I went to an Atkins site and had them trouble-shoot my menus for me.....and eventually figured out what the problem was. For me it was that now, 20 years later (lost all pregnancy weight on Atkins about 20 years ago and maintained for many, many years) I could no longer use equal nor could I use unlimited splenda but now could use NO more than 3 packets a day.
As soon as I was turning the keto-stix pink to purple and realized I was on my way, I was exhilarated and it's been going great ever since then....and I'm about 8 lbs. from goal now.
Did I ever want to throw in the towel?
Not once I got the Atkins diet to work again. All my hunger issues, cravings, etc. are totally eliminated on this diet for me. Have not cheated even once...and throw in the towel? Never.
BUT....when I kept trying to lose weight to no avail on the medication and when I kept floundering, unable to figure out why I couldn't get Atkins (or ANY diet for that matter) to work.....YES, I not only wanted to throw in the towel but I actually DID throw in the towel.....over and over again...in frustration.
How strict am I?
I don't exercise....I walk. I do not really enjoy going to the gym and now in my 50's, I am careful to do low-impact exercise, like walking or swimming, in order to protect my joints (esp. knees). And I love to walk with my ipod....I like to think when I walk...almost like meditation for me.
But I am VERY strict with my Atkins diet....almost militantly strict. For one thing, it's easy....so why not aim for maximum results? But another reason is that now older and wiser, I truly believe that allowing one lapse leads to two and leads to three....and you end up getting nowhere. Because I have experience with this diet and was able to maintain for many years on Atkins maintenance.....I totally see the value now of being rather strict with it.
Because truly....nothing tastes as good as being a normal weight feels.
What has gotten easier and what has gotten more difficult?
This is a tough one because I've honestly had no difficulty on this particular diet. I almost feel guilty because it's been so easy for me. It truly IS a life-style for me, not only because I maintained for many years but also because I'm a nurse and have become a HUGE advocate of some of the most recent, cutting-edge studies showing the damage done by high carb/high processed foods/sugars/low fat eating. I feel SO much better eating this way...energy-wise and mood-wise and am able to eat like a normal person on it due to the hunger control and elimination of cravings that happens when low-carbing in a strict way. You must be strict to succeed because Atkins is not a calorie diet...it's a metabolic diet...and you must be strict to maintain the fat-burning mode once you switch from carb/sugar burning mode.
But honestly, it's been very easy for me with virtually no stalls, no cheating and just gets easier and easier as I just become more and more accustomed to eating this way.
How did you start?
Losing weight was always something I WANTED to do, but knew that working out had to be part of it. There's no gym in my town, and I hate, hate, HATE running, so I thought there were no options other than equipment at home, that I couldn't afford. Then a co-worker of mine signed up for the workout center at the local hospital, which I didn't know existed. On July 31, 2007, I also signed up. Started working out 5 times a day on the recumbent bike - 20 minutes at a time, 'til my stamina grew. Also did weights three times a week. I just decided to DO it one day, and haven't looked back.
Was there ever a point where you wanted to throw in the towel?
After my first month, when I'd gained 5 pounds. Luckily the lady at the hospital center told me to keep it up. I gave it another week or two and the losses started. Another point was when I stopped losing all together for about a month - but I increased my calories and started losing. The final point was near my goal, when I stopped losing any weight three weeks of the month, but then would drop anywhere from 3-5 pounds after my TOM. Got hard seeing "no progress" from week to week.
What's your diet and exercise plan and did it change from how you began?
My diet started as just cutting back, and making myself eat breakfast. I'd never been a breakfast fan, but now I can't make it without it. I'd still eat the same things my husband and I always ate for dinner, but just less of it. Then eventually I realized that I could eat MORE if I ate better. So I started sneaking in healthier things on the husband. Now he's on board with weight loss, so it's not "sneaking" as much as deciding together. We LOVE LOVE LOVE roasted veggies, grilled chicken, etc. We fry nothing anymore really. He's down from 285 to 249 since September...
How strict are you?
At first I was VERY strict - counting every single calorie that passed my lips. As things went on I stayed strict. When maintenance started I found myself slipping on the counting, but luckily not gaining. Now I"m working on eating more, since I was eating a bunch of uncounted "junk" calories, and I'm fairly strict again.
What's gotten easier, and what continues to remain difficult?
The process of counting calories has become easier - it's second nature now. My workouts are almost second nature, but it's still HARD some days to get up out of bed and do it. It is now, and always will be, difficult to deal with family members - "Why won't you just eat one piece (pie, etc)...it won't KILL you!" People who don't understand that my "diet" didn't end with my losses don't get that YES, one piece might start a big, huge slide for me. It's not a "diet" I'm on - it's a life change that will hopefully always last.
