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Old 10-12-2003, 05:01 PM   #1  
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Angry New member...need support badly!

Hi! I just joined hoping that I can get the support here that I need to finally lose weight. I need to lose about fifty pounds. I am knocking on the door of 200 pounds and don't want to cross that bridge. I am short, so the moreI weight, the worse it looks. My BMI is very unhealthy, and I would like to get pregnant next year, but I want to lose the weight first. I have been married seven years and I think I am finally ready to have a baby, but I want to be at my healtiest, which for my height, according to the weight index would be 100-128. But that just seems so impossible to me. I was 130 when I married, but I have steadily gained about 10 pounds per year since then. I just don't have the willpower to lose it. I'll start a diet on Monday morning, and by monday afternoon the plan is out the window! I also hear people say how important it is to drink 64 or more ounces of water per day, but I hate water, and my day is usually to busy to stop to drink it. Please give me some advise. How good for you is water, really? What have your guys been successful at with weight loss? I need some lecturing!
Help!
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Old 10-12-2003, 05:26 PM   #2  
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Angry Hello

First of all....

Congratulations on taking your first step towards weight loss!!!

3FatChicks is the BEST place to get started, and they have the best support around!

Most people who do not have a weight problem, never truly know what kind of battle we all endure, but most of the women (and men too) know how hard this battle is.

Like you, I too started many "diets" but they ended the next day, and sometimes even hours later! I never stuck to them. I think all those times before I wasn't truly "ready" to lose the weight. Now I am.

My suggestion would be to follow a plan that works good for YOU and your schedule. Some people prefer to follow a weight watchers plan, by counting points, others prefer a no carb diet, and some enjoy the low fat or low calorie diets. Which ever you choose, make sure it is right for you.

Now onto the water. Water is SO IMPORTANT to your health, and your body. I'm no water goddess though, I'll admit that I don't *always* get in my 64 oz a day - but I try. Here is a something I found at a website about water...

_____________________________________

It's Good For You - But It's Tasteless!

Most Americans don't drink enough water. The average intake is only about 3.5 cups of water/day. For optimal health we need 6-8 glasses/day. Insufficient water can make you feel physically and mentally sluggish, cause dry skin, bad breath and constipation, and increase the risk of kidney infections and heat exhaustion. Keeping well hydrated especially when fighting a cold or the flu is especially important.

Many people underestimate the amount of water they lose during physical activities, and quickly experience fatigue if they don't replace the water that is lost. Thirst is not a reliable guide. Experiments at Harvard show that we need about 30% more water than what our thirst tells us, and fatigue during exercise can be substantially delayed when we keep properly hydrated.

In health and in sickness, pure water is one of heaven's choicest blessings. Its proper use promotes health. Drunk freely it assists nature to resist disease. Water is best drunk between meals rather than with meals. Taken with meals, ice water will delay digestion.

____________________________________

Hopefully that helps a little with why water is so important.

Once again, welcome to 3FC and I hope to see you around here often. There are many great groups to join. The women and men here are phenominal! Enjoy!

~ Kari ~
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Old 10-12-2003, 11:45 PM   #3  
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Angry

Hello and Welcome-

I just had to post and share with you my experience of how much water helps your body. I joined the 21 day challenge and I chose to drink 80oz. of water everyday for 21 days. Here is what I've noticed.
My face was less puffy.
My tummy was less bloated.
My skin was not so dry.

These were things I could "see". I'm sure I was doing more for my body also. Yes, it was VERY hard to drink all that water....at first. I felt like I was running to the bathroom constantly. But that went away. And the more I drank, the more my body wanted the water. It was an amazing challenge for me. And when my challenge was over, and I didn't drink much for a day or two..... I totally noticed a difference!! So I don't drink anything less than 60oz. And drinking water is one of the best things that helps us flush our bodies out to help lose weight.

I hope this helped a little.

You are more than welcome to join any of the support threads we have here. EVERYONE is so wonderful and caring. It's what the doctor ordered!!!

Take Care and good luck

Marti
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Old 10-14-2003, 11:24 PM   #4  
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I'm like you and hated water. You couldn’t get me to drink water if my life depended on it, especially tap water. You still can’t get me to drink tap water. Try adding a packet of lemon juice to your water to spice it up. That’s what I did at first. Now Water is the only thing that I drink. I find that with a 32 oz cup and a straw I can drink a minimum of 128 oz of water a day. I don’t know if you like spicy food, but one thing that I do on days when I just don’t feel like drinking the water, is that I eat really spicy food. I need the water to put the fire on my tongue out. In the beginning, drinking the water is hard, but it does get easier. They have given you some good examples of why water is so important.
One of those reasons, that I don’t know if they listed, is that Water helps your skin keep its elasticity. So if you are one that has a lot of weight to lose, then you will benefit from the water intake.

Here is a link on water. http://culligan.com/about-water/wc-wh-1.asp
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Old 10-14-2003, 11:25 PM   #5  
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I also just found this artice on water. It's long, but worth the read.

"HOW 8 GLASSES A DAY KEEP FAT AWAY"
By Donald S. Robertson, M.D.

Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits. Here's why:

The kidneys can't function properly without enough water. When they don't work to capacity, some of their load is dumped onto the liver. One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. But, if the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it can't operate at full throttle. As a result, it metabolizes less fat, more fat remains stored in the body and weight
loss stops.

Drinking enough water is the best treatment for fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it perceives this as a threat to survival and begins to hold onto every drop. Water is stored in extra cellular spaces outside the cells. This shows up as swollen feet, legs and hands.

The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to give the body what it needs: plenty of water. Only then will stored water be released.

The overweight person needs more water than the thin one. Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism, it follows that the overweight person needs more water.

Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss. Shrinking cells are buoyed by water, which plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and resilient.

Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has a lot more waste to get rid of. All that metabolized fat must be shed. Again, adequate water helps flush out waste.

Water can relieve constipation. When the body gets too little water, it siphons what it needs from internal forces. The colon is one primary source. Result? Constipation. But when a person drinks enough water, normal bowel function usually returns.

When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally, its fluids are in perfect balance. When this happens, you have reached the "breakthrough point." This is when endocrine gland function improves:

(1) Fluid retention is alleviated as stored water is lost.

(2) More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize
stored fat.

(3) Natural thirst is returned.

(4) There is a loss of hunger almost overnight.

If you stop drinking enough water, your body fluids will be thrown out of balance again, and you may experience fluid retention, unexplained weight gain and loss of thirst. To remedy the situation, you have to go back and force another "breakthrough."

THE WATER CURE CAN MAKE YOU THIN!

We can’t rave enough about the latest weight-loss breakthrough. It’s simple, safe and effective. This M.D.- devised technique has already worked wonders ......... three times faster than average -- and without dieting.
......................................

Before you read another word, go pour yourself a glass of water. WHY? Because what we’re about to tell you is going to make you very thirsty. At least that’s the reaction Chicago mom Amy Biank had when she first heard about a groundbreaking treatment for weight gain, fatigue and a host of other stubborn ailments ..... “At the time, I was getting out of bed in the morning and feeling old and heavy,” recalls the 54-year-old, who’d been steadily gaining weight since her early 40’s. “My joints ached. I would get overwhelmingly tired. I had hot flashes, mood swings, sinus headaches. I didn’t have the stamina to work out, and I had such strong cravings for foods like chocolate and bacon .... I just surrendered and said, ‘This is the way I’m going to be’”. But, in fact, it wasn’t the way she was going to be ..........

WOW’ LOOK AT WHAT WATER CAN DO TO FLAB ***

Fast forward six weeks: Amy was shopping in the “fat ladies’ section at her favorite store and tried on a size 20 skirt. “It literally fell off,” she beams. The outfit she took home? A size 16. Now she’s in the 14s working toward a 12. Maybe “working” isn’t the right word because Amy has lost the weight, quadrupled her energy, eliminated achy joints, beaten her allergies - simply by drinking water - more specifically, by drinking a doctor-prescribed amount of water.
---------------------
That’s exactly what Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, M.D., affectionately known as “Dr Batman” around his practice in Falls Church, Virginia, tell his patients -- who have lost up to 40+ pounds just by increasing their water intake.. A recent survey found that while two out of three of us know doctors recommend drinking at least eight cups daily, only one in five actually drink that much. How much, do we drink? On average, a mere 4.6 cups a day. “This chronic shortage is the reason so many of us are sick, tired and overweight,” claims the expert, author of YOUR BODY’S MANY CRIES FOR WATER. “Humans are 75% water. More importantly, our brains -- our control centers -- are 85% water. Without adequate hydration, our metabolisms slow, energy levels drop, toxic waste becomes trapped, cells are deprived of vital oxygen and nutrients and so much more.”

So why don’t we feel thirstier? “Studies show that as we get older, we experience a gradual loss of sensitivity to feelings of thirst,” says Dr. Batman. And for reasons not entirely understood, humans accept a dry mouth as the primary indicator of thirst. “Yet it is the last signal your body sends that it’s thirsty”, he adds, noting that earlier signs include sleepiness, achiness and hunger. Since so many of the systems that keep us slim are dependent on water, it only makes sense that when these systems falter, we get fat. That’s the bad news. The good news is that simply by following one simple water-drinking guideline, we can restore our body to peak health and leanness ......

HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU NEED TO DRINK TO LOSE WEIGHT?

Dr. Batmanghelidj and the world-famous Mayo Clinic both offer the same easy formula for figuring out your body’s daily water requirements: take your weight and divide it in half. If, for example, you weigh 150 lbs., you need 75 oz. (nine to 10 glasses) daily. If you weigh 250 pounds, 125 oz. (15 to 16 glasses). Any time you perspire heavily for 30 minutes, add an extra 15 to 30 oz. Any time you drink a caffeinated beverage, add an extra 8 to 10 oz.!

Is pure H2O the only liquid that counts? No, say experts. Any beverage without calories, caffeine, carbonation, artificial sweeteners, or sodium, such as herbal teas, bottled waters with fruit essence - also counts toward your daily quota. Meet your daily quota and your rewards will be many ............

EASY WAYS TO GET MORE WATER

The idea of drinking 75 oz. of water each day may seem overwhelming at first, but these tricks make it easy -----

*Reaching for water first. Start taking water breaks instead of coffee breaks, sipping water instead of soda, and you automatically drink more. “In the past, I tried to drink more water in addition to all the Diet Coke, and it just didn’t work”, says Chicago mom Amy Blank. “But once I started making water my beverage of choice, my cravings for Diet Coke disappeared!”

*Keeping lots of H2O where you can see it.That way you won’t forget.“The first two weeks, I put eight bottles out on a shelf, and I knew I had to finish them by the end of the day,” says Amy.

*Adding a twist.
Water doesn’t have to be boring “Try bottled waters flavored with fruit essence. Or squeeze lemon or lime into chilled tap water. “Sometimes I add a tablespoon of peach nectar,” says Amy. “Or I’ll take an herbal tea bag and pour the water on top of it,”

*Keeping it cool.
Each night, put some water bottles in the freezer. Take one or two with you to work and enjoy an icy treat in the midafternoon. Also a great idea if you’re going to the beach.

SURPRISING REASONS DRINKING H20 MELTS FAT

Water makes your metabolism burn calories 3% faster. During a study at the University of Utah, test subjects who were just slightly dehydrated saw a 3% drop in their resting metabolism. And since the calories we burn when we’re sitting still account for the majority of calories burned each day, a 3% drop is enough to cause a pound of weight gain every six months.
........................

Water fights fatigue-induced hunger. Studies have shown that the more tired we feel, the more we eat. That’s why folks who work the night shift tend to pack on extra pounds. But by drinking water, you can prevent the weariness that leads to overeating. “There is amazing new evidence that when water passes through our cell membranes, it creates energy independent of food -- a sort of hydroelectric power,” says the expert.
.........................

Water helps the digestive system operate more efficiently, so you have fewer cravings. The more water we have in our systems, the more efficiently our enzymes can break down and extract nutrients from food, explains Dr. Batman. The more nutrients you extract from the food you eat, the fewer cravings you’ll have.
........................

Water replaces beverages proven to cause weight gain. It probably comes as no surprise that substituting water for sugary drinks saves you lots of calories. But what you might not know is that calories we drink are much more likely to end up as fat: one study found volunteers who ate an extra 450 calories unconsciously compensated at later meals and didn’t gain weight: those who drank an extra 450 calories (the amount in one large cola) didn’t compensate and gained weight.

“The great thing about water is that if you drink too much, the excess is simply excreted --- it is never stored as fat,”, notes Dr. Batman.

What about no-cal beverages like diet sodas, coffee and tea? “They aren’t stored as fat per se, but they trigger fat storage,” he says. “Caffeine is a diuretic, so you drink it, thinking you’re satisfying your thirst, when actually you are further dehydrating your body. In my opinion, rising obesity rates --- especially among children -- are directly linked to our increased consumption of caffeinated beverages.”

Artificial sweeteners make the problem worse: “When digested, aspartame is broken down into chemicals that reduce blood sugar available to our brains,” explains the pro. “When this happens, we become hungry.”. Sweetness alone can cause the body to anticipate a new supply of sugar -- so when sweetness hits your tongue, it begins to store circulating blood sugar in fat cells.

“I never realized how much more I ate when I was drinking coffee and diet sodas until I stopped,” says Amy. “I still have them occasionally, but when I do, I make sure to have extra water.”

BONUS: 5 WAYS WATER ACTS LIKE MEDICINE

When it comes to water’s benefits, losing weight and gaining energy are just the tip of the iceberg. Researchers now believe that ordinary tap water helps reduce the risk of kidney stones, urinary tract and bladder cancer and possibly even colon cancer. There is also evidence, says Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, M.D., Author of YOUR BODY’ MANY CRIES FOR WATER, that ....

1. It prevents the common cold. Moisture in your throat holds the antibodies that fight off viruses. If you’re even slightly dehydrated, this natural protection disappears.

2. It controls migraines. Without plenty of water, you’re more likely to have an attack.

3. It helps lower “bad” cholesterol. When you’re dehydrated, your blood becomes thick and acidic and can cause damage to arterial walls. Levels of LDL cholesterol rise in response to coat the arterial walls.

4. It may cure asthma. When you’re not getting enough water, your body produces more histamine, which regulates how often your bronchial muscles contract. Drinking water decreases production of histamine, keeping breathing steady.

5. It soothes arthritis pain. Water in the cartilage of your joints acts as a lubricant.

(From "Your Body's Many Cries For Water" by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj)


Please note that the following discussion is about WATER. Soda, coffee, tea, fruit juice, beer, wine or whatever does not count. The measure for water is in addition to any other liquid one drinks.

WATER. page278, "Dr. Duarte's Health Alternatives", Alex Duarte O.D. "Remember that the thirst control center is located in the hypothalamus right next to the hunger control center, and there is some overlap between these two centers because water suppresses appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water consumption will actually reduce fat deposits." "The kidneys cannot function properly without enough energy. When they do not work to capacity some of their load is dumped onto the liver. One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. But if the liver has to do some of the kidneys work, it cannot work at full throttle. As a result, it metabolizes less fat. More fat remains stored in the body, and weight loss stops."

Drinking water is the best treatment for fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it perceives this as a threat to survival and begins to hold onto every drop. Water is stored in spaces outside the cells. This shows up as swollen feet, hands and legs. Diuretics offer temporary solution at best. They force out stored water along with some of the essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives a threat and will replace the water at the first opportuinty. Thus the condition quickly returns. The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to give your body what it needs, PLENTY OF WATER. Only then will stored water be released. This rule does not hold for people suffering from serious heart or kidney dysfunction."

"Water can help relieve constipation. When the body gets too little water, it syphons what it needs from internal sources. The colon is the primary source. The result? Constipation. When a person drinks enough water, normal bowel function returns."

"The overweight person needs more water than the thin one. Large people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism, it follows that the overweight person needs more water. WWater helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss. Shrinking cells are board up by water, which plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and resilient. Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has a lot of waste to get rid of. All that metabolized fat must be shed. Again, adequate water flushes the toxic fat by-products out as waste."

"On the average, a person should drink eight 8 ounce glasses of water every day. However, the overweight person needs one additional glass for every 25 pounds of excess weight. The amount that you drink should be increased if you exercise or if the weather is hot and dry."

"Under normal circumstances, the kidneys can excrete 16 to 20L of water per day." [see Cecil Essentials of Medicine 4th ed. page 192] and the skin excretes 3.6ml water / lb of bodyweight. [Modern Nutrition in health and disease 8th ed. page 116]

1 Liter = 33.8 fl ozs
16 L = 540.8 fl ozs [ 4.20 gallons ]
20 L = 676.0 fl ozs [ 5.28 gallons ]

1 ml = 0.0338266 oz
The skin excretes 0.1217757ounces water per pound of bodyweight daily.


H2O FACTS:

75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters
studied in a U-Washington study.

Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
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Old 10-16-2003, 09:31 PM   #6  
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Hey there! A warm welcome to 3FC.com!!

You def. have my support! Its always great to see people wanting to lose weight, and then.. going for the gold! I personally have about 70lbs to lose i know.. its a lot and im ashamed i let it go so far.. and true i've only lost 15.. but its the most i've lost.. ever! Def. check out the 21-Day Challenge posts, I try to frequent those.. though lately Ive been in a slump with my challenge lasting 21 days... but its a good start. Also check out a lot of the low fat recipies as well as the nutritional info. guides.. I find those to be very helpful.

I know you can lose the weight! I Try to keep positive like.. don't think about what you are NOW.. but envision what you WILL be! I think keeping positive is the most important thing, its all in your thinking. And again, bravo for wanting to lose the weight, you have my support 100%!! And Im glad your doing it for the right reasons... YOURSELF!! Thats the most important thing. I know I want to lose the weight so *I* can feel good about ME! And thats the best feeling in the world right there!

Another tip is I've switched from 2% milk to skim milk, and I've been eating whole wheat bread instead of white bread. I think even those small changes do make a big difference. And Ive been drinking flavored (choco/vanilla) soy milk as well. I've cut out soda (Ill rarely drink it now). And I always order water when we go out to dinner etc.. (its good for u plus its free ) and I've cut out sweets.. to snack I usually eat Ritz crackers or wheat thins/wheatables. I dunno.. I need to get back into working out to lose the rest of the weight.. but I think changing what you eat too is a big part of it.

I wish you the best of luck!!!!
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