I began this journey late in 2011. I had discovered not long before that my Birthmother (died in her mid 60's) and half bio brother were diabetics. I decided that I did not want to ever be old, sick and in pain and certainly did not want to follow that bilocal family in any of their habits! So I began experimenting with nutrition (juicing, then back to low carb that I had done years ago after a dx of PCOS). Both helped and I was working out 5-6 days a week (except for a 6 week healing from a Russian kettlebell injury to my elbow!).
I lost just over 30 lb. through Oct 2012 (yay!). But I felt my loss wasn't what it should be! The pre-diabetes numbers we're not going down enough, and I didn't think the plan was the best for my spouse who has had high cholesterol and triglycerides since he as 18 (and very fit). So early in Nov 2012, I began working the WW points plus plan. I have been very pleased with the program so far (and the tools) and have lost more than 10 lb. With that for a total of just under 45 lb. to date.
I want to lose 50 more lb. and believe I can accomplish that in 2013. I am ready and willing to keep working. So far I have been great at not cheating at all on my plan and consistently now working out 6-7 days a week. I will get this done. We will all get this done!
LdyMc-Welcome to our group. You are doing an awesome job creating the healthy eating and exercise habits to meet your fitness goals. Congrats on the 45 lb weight loss.
Marie-Your thoughts on using the scale to monitor body weight are interesting to me. I used to live for the number on the scale. It brought me such joy and sorrow. Now it is no big deal since it pretty much stays the same. Like you, I know the tighter waist band means the weight is going up. I also realize that what I am eating equates with what I weigh. If I am good with my diet, I will lose weight and vice versa. I still look at it everyday but it only reflects what I already know. The number no longer has the power to stir my emotions. I also aspire to wear a size six but that will take some extra effort on my part. I have no obstacles or significant difficulties in my life right now so apparently I am not sufficiently motivated to make it happen. I need to channel some weight loss mojo.
Diana-I envy your artistic talent. What a wonderful and constructive emotional outlet and source of joy. I hope you feel better quickly. Good for you for getting out and walking in the sunshine.
Am2-Congrats on the 1.6 weight loss. The flu stinks. I hope you get well soon.
I had a great weekend. I wish they never ended. Somehow I accept this crazy notion that all problems are on hold on the weekend and there is no need to worry about what I eat or drink and the job hunting can wait until Monday. Nice but now it is Monday-how dreadful. Anyway, on Saturday I had lots of face time with my husband because for once we did not have to spend the day cleaning and running errands. We did a little shopping-including Whole Foods where I purchased delicious Pink Lady apples on sale. They are fabulous with cheddar cheese and walnuts. We also saw the movie Silver Lining Playbook which I really enjoyed although I could see a little bit of myself in the lead character's mania which made me a bit uncomfortable. (just a very tiny bit-I see it on Hoarders too!) On Sunday we went hiking for almost two hours at a local National Park near the Chattahoochee river and then the kids came over to celebrate DS2's birthday. Fun times. But now it is Monday.
LdyMc, you are doing great. I'm glad the WW change is working well for you. I agree with you - we will get this done!
Tera, I wish that scale didn't have the power to irk me. Since it does, I think logging is sufficient for me. I'm glad the scale no longer irks you. I know what you mean about the mojo. I didn't "have" it until last Monday. Till last Monday, I just fought a good battle. I figured if I didn't surrender to the munchies/foods, at least when the mojo returned, I wouldn't have 20 pounds extra to fight. I was reasonably good for 9 months but not . I really love having the mojo back and being on the losing side of the battle is quite fun.
I hate Monday's too, Tera. What you described about not spending the weekend cleaning and chores is what I look forward to in 5 years. DH is in the military and civilian duty at our guard base. He has to retire at age 55 years, 364 days old. That's in about 5 years. I told him I was fine with him being a househusband as long as he did the housework. That I did not want to spend my weekends cleaning, doing laundry, etc any more. He totally agreed that was fair. So I'm now looking forward to his retirement. I won't be able to retire until a few years later. But spending weekends playing like you and your DH did this weekend sounds delightful.
On target calorie wise today. Yesterday I ended the day at 1466. Truly I'm loving the logging calorie challenge I gave myself. I love reporting in that everything is good and I'm in control, not my munchies.
Marie
PS Tera, the morning munchies were stopped in their tracks with two cups of hot tea. That works so well for me!!!!!
LdyMc, welcome to the group and congratulations on your 40-pound loss (if I am reading right). Glad you are enjoying your WW, which is an excellent plan.
Marie, I also was interested in your no-scale thoughts. I have been in periods like that at times in my life. My reality is that I need the scale and the numbers are just data for me, although I do get a charge out of it when I am trying to lose some pounds and the scale shows me I've done it. It is all data and part of the journey to me. At the times where I've decided the scale is bogus and I declined to weigh, I've always come back to it and found I had gained considerably, but I know that others who are on weight watching journeys who do not use the scale are very successful at it as you have been.
I back up the scale data with measurements once a week and also objectively how I feel, how my clothes fit, etc., but for me, the scale tells the tale.
There are many paths to the truth on a weight management journey.
Tera, I do that, too, re the weekend, put problems on hold.
It is possible my schedule may include a contract that will put me back to work on the weekends. I think I will then create another weekend for myself somewhere in the week.
I don't know if this will come about, but feel the stirrings of positive change in my life.
And yes, I was ridiculously happy with my weigh-in this week and it means the world to me to be so close to getting back into the 120s. And yes, lol, I've sometimes been accused of being obsessed by the scale and by the issue of weight itself. Not meaning in an ED disorder obsessed but just weight conscious. It bothers some folks that I am.
However, I once weighed more than 100 pounds than I do now, have kept the majority of my weight loss off for going on two decades (give the ups and downs of normal maintenance) and if I'm obsessed lol, it is a useful obsession.
The obverse, though, is not true, about my emotions re a nice scale number (or measurements, which are of equal importance to me but for reasons of fitness, e.g., I can use scale data and measurements and my exercise records to clue me in to muscularity ups and downs without paying somebody to measure my bodyfat).
The obverse is not true because I don't feel much beyond occasional irritation when the scale does not behave. I do not tie the scale into my self-worth and it does not depress me.
It just tells me what I need to know.
Hmmm, yes, t'is Monday. I have done all the shopping, cleaning and exercise and need a nana nap.
Have a great day, all.
Last edited by Amarantha2; 01-28-2013 at 06:33 PM.
Good Afternoon and welcome to the thread ldymc. I had to grin when I saw your name cause it reminded me of what a brother in law calls me and my last name. He calls me lady Di and my last name starts with Mc.
My blue light came and this was the second morning I've used it. It is truely amazing how something that little can be soooo bright. I get my breakfast and coffee ready and just eat/sip with the light on. A nice way to start the day. How much of the year do you use the blue light Marie?
Marie, I will try to figure out how to post photos, I did find the attachment tab in messages now have to go back and see how big the photo can be at max. Teaching children was most rewarding. I taught mostly 6 to 12 year olds. Marie, I'm impressed you have been designing your own stain glass patterns, you are a true creative, most are happy with approved designs. I think you should continue to draw your pups - I can hear your passion for it.
Ama, Congrats on your 1.6 loss - AWESOME! I'll add that I need to weight in everyday and keep site on losing or a weight ceiling or I will re-gain over time. It's like a daily reality check. I grew up with some rotten eating habits and food rewards, so working on lifetime keeping me healthy patterns.
What did you use to paint and carve?
Tera, Your hiking in National Park sounds lovely, as well as the rest of your fun weekend. Wishing you success at attracting the perfect job.
Going out to Studio to finish some small works in my sketchbook.
Just wanted to clarify that I weigh-in weekly, not daily. Every once in a while I do an unofficial extra hop on & give it a look but I ignore the result. I log only once a week. At times my schedule changes & I change the weigh-in day or at times for variety, I will schedule a week to skip a weigh-in. I do always strive to do the weigh-ins at the same time, give or take a few hours, & if for some reason I have a physical reason to have a bunch of extra food or liquid just before the weigh-in, I reschedule for another day so as not to skew my data or discourage myself. And all parameters being equal, if I gain, I evaluate it & take it in stride.
Lol, if all that sounds like a religious ritual, it IS sort of a spiritual thing in my life to maintain a sane weight. But it really is all just about getting that all important (to me) scale data.
Diana, I used to carve wood & have done all kinds of media re painting.
Last edited by Amarantha2; 01-29-2013 at 10:15 AM.
Marie-I did enjoy that weekend but I hope I am not forced into retirement yet. Time will tell. In the meanwhile I will have to appreciate my wealth of time and get a bunch of stuff accomplished at home. Congrats to you for wrenching control from the munchies and keeping those calories in line where they belong. Oh, what a feeling!
Am2-WooHoo-you are almost there. Hope the contracts works out for you.
Diana-May the new light brighten your day. That should help with the weight loss.
I watched Dr Oz yesterday because I could. One of the topics was a detox which is a term that in the past I considered hooey. However, this detox was two lists of foods-one of foods to avoid and one of foods to include in your diet. He pretty much had the same foods listed that I have been reading and hearing about lately. The problem is the list of foods to avoid includes alot of food I normally consume. I try to minimize the amount of these foods since many of them are highly caloric anyway but I have not eliminated anything. The proponents of "detox" feel strongly in it's curative powers for much of what ails us though. I keep thinking about it anyway. It just sounds so hard. Inthe meanwhile I am moving in that direction by trying to come up with new menus for myself that do not include the no-nos. For example I no longer eat sandwiches for lunch on a regular basis. That used to be one of my staples.
Hi all, everything is on track on the health journey. I just love it when it clicks into place. Today I'll end my day at 1449 cals. I can write that confidently as I'm not a night time muncher. Yesterday I ended at 1373. I finished my DGD's Mickey Mouse quilt and it turned out amazing. So now I'm trying to decide working on my quilt or going back to working on my stained glass panel of Sasha and Kai Pixie (my younger huskies). I created the pattern over a year ago and worked on cutting some of it out. Then I had surgery and switched to quilts for a while. Heck I don't even remember where I stashed the stained glass pieces. Anyway, I'm halfway through a quilt for myself (4 quilts later) but I can't work on stained glass and quilting in my craft room. One or the other. So instead here I am.
Am2, I've always been a miserable failure at not weighing in without gaining. I know that but decided that if I log my calories religiously (or spiritually ) I won't gain and I will lose. Now that I'm in the 50's the weight loss is so much slower than in previous decades that the scale's non-movement gets it kicked into the wall. Yeah, just a little temper.
Great news on a potential contract Am2. Even if it on weekends. I think if you're working weekends, then week days sound lovely.
Diana, my psychiatrist wanted me to use the light from October to March. I tend not to start until November and then the last couple winters ran into June so I just kept using it. I figure the happier I am, the better. That, of course, isn't good for a bipolar person. But I do love the manic swings. Mostly I hate the depressed swing. Anyway, my dr says Oct to March. To upload a picture on 3FC, you have to have it small, something like 100kb. There's a site to make it easy. Here's a link to do it.
Tera, I hope all is well with you. It was only a 1 cuppa tea morning. BTW, just read your post. I really have a problem with a list of good foods and bad foods. My belief is that if I’m told NO then I will crave it till I get it. I have no bad foods (except the deathly allergic foods and that really does curb any cravings for them). Moderation and enjoyment is my method.
Marie
Congrats on having things on track & kicking into place, Marie. Your stained glass panel of the dogs sounds lovely.
Tera, I am not a detox person other than now & then swearing off sugar. Fr a long time, though, I did the old Sugarbusters way of eating, which does have a list of forbidden foods, & I loved it & did well on it. But these days I prefer just to eat any food & log calories.
My challenge is going well calorie wise. I am a little behind in steps as I am slightly unwell & overstrained.
The thing I find interesting about the toxic food list is that it purports to not only lead to weight loss but to actually feeling better. When I was at my heaviest I used to indulge in caffiene, diet soda, fast food, Cheez Its, candy and alcohol probably ever single day. I was fat and I had pretty bad stomach and sleep issues not to mention anxiety as well. Since I have changed my diet all of those issues have lessoned but not exactly gone away. I am very curious how I would feel if I really cut out the "inflammatory" foods. Plus I am kinda stuck where I am weight wise. I would like to develop a way of eating and exercising that would not require so much monitoring and hours of exercise to maintain my desired weight of 135 pounds. One of the new foods I eat that I love are nuts. Yummy! Unfortunately they are rather high in calories so I do have to be somewhat careful but knowing how much they cost helps keep my servings small!
I went on a job interview but I am not holding my breath because that would just be too easy. It was great practice in any case and always fun to get out there and meet new people.
Am2-Sorry you are not feeling well. Perhaps some hot tea?
Marie-When do you have time to sit around and watch TV? Just kidding of course. You are smart to use your time to create- not vegetate. I need to get on that bandwagon but I am pretty lazy. I watch Hoarders for gosh sakes! On the plus side, it motivates me to clean my house and be nice to those I love. I also like the happy endings.
I love nuts and think they are very healthy, been reading that cashews have anti aging effects. Can't wait to get some cashews lol.
But I hear ye about the calories. Still a serving of most nuts is only 170 calories and they are very satiating. I'd be hard put to find 170 calories of something more bulky, including veggies, that would keep me satisfied for the length of time a serving of nuts would, even though it doesn't seem like you get a lot of nuts.
2 T of freshly ground pb or almond butter from the health food store make a good snack for me for 190-200 calories. I sometimes just buy approximately that amount and eat it in my car and have 2 percent milk with it (12 ounces = 190 calories) and for less than 400 calories I get a great lunch that most conventional dieticians who are not into low glycemic eating and want me to live on food I don't like would sneer at lol, but works for me.
I don't know if you shop at stores like Sprouts, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, etc., but there are always a lot of hunger fighting decent foods in those stores that help a lot.
Well, I have 3000 more steps to do. I AM cutting back on exercise but still am into doing 70,000 steps per week, plus 2-3 weight sessions, and optional DVDs using gentle aerobics and yoga.
Strength training is never optional to me, but I'm getting good results going lighter than I used to and using more bands and bodyweight circuits, etc.
Tera, about vegetating in front of the TV. Occasionally I will watch TV. I watch Grey's Anatomy and the soon to be canceled Private Practice. I'm a couple weeks behind Greys and a couple months on Private. But I do watch The Colbert Report religiously. I love that show. I stream is on my iPad through HuluPlus. So I put it on my bike or elliptical and watch it while I exercise. It's 22 minutes long so I'll watch 1.5 shows. I really hate sitting and watching a show. Sitting and reading, I do that pretty much nightly for about a 1/2 hours. Like Am2, I've never seen Hoarders. I've heard about it and it never interested me.
Unlike you both, I'm not a nut fan. I love almonds and if I could eat them like popcorn, then I'd put them into my diet. But since I'd look like a blimp if I did that, I don't buy them. They don't fill me up at all. So interesting that's the opposite of Am2.
Am2, glad you're feeling a bit better today. I lightened my strength training a little as well. I just really don't like it much. But the Bowflex is better than anything else I've used.
My cals will end today at 1380 and I rode my bike on the fluid trainer. It was funny, but apparently my bike chain was squeaking and it annoyed DH last weekend. So he gave it a tune up. I mentioned the tires probably needed air. So he did that and I'm pedaling along thinking "whoa I'm getting so fit" but alas, the drag on the fluid trainer was so much less than with the lower air pressure, there was less resistance. I thought it was sort of entertaining.
Marie
That was really nice of your DH to tune up your fluid trainer/bike, Marie.
I want to get a recumbent in the house again. I don't intend to rejoin the gym this year as I just don't like it as much, would rather exercise alone these days. I had a recumbent years ago but when my dog was a puppy she chewed up all the upholstery in her first six months (she didn't swallow it or anything, just chewed and clawed at it whenever I left the house lol).
Did ok with cals today as I was really hungry but had two batches of a flaxseed walnut raisin, flourless muffin that is made & distributed in this area. I have bought them for years but hadn't had any for a while and they have so improved them. They are low in calories, huge and dense and have no preservatives or anything and I ate two today over time and was not over hungry all day. Ended eating day at 1685.
I'm pretty unhappy with my life these days between my sick aging parents and my ungrateful spoiled children but I want to get over it and start exercising regularly again. Going today with DH to the health club. I do have an older recumbent bike at home. I had my second rotator cuff surgery on August 31. This one is taking longer to heal than the left one did. But I hope to be able to do the elliptical. I have to go but hope to be back later. Missed you guys!
Deelee, welcome back. I'm so sorry your life is so stressful. I hope your DH is recovering nicely and doing well. And kids, often they are very self-centered. And that's just frustrating.
Am2, I which I could give you my old recumbant exercycle. It was a high end one a decade ago. Recumbants hurt my lower back and I stopped using it. The pressure to the lower back just didn't work for me. I like using my road bike on the fluid trainer. And what's the name of the lo-cal flourless muffins. They sound interesting. I, too, am hungry today but on track calorie wise. And that's always good.
I woke up early this AM and did an elliptical workout before work. My hip was sore (I'm back to playing with my air/number mattress to get the right setting between sore hip and my arms going to sleep). So after work, I want to take the pups for a walk since it is amazingly beautiful outside. Nothing prettier than mountain blue skies.
Marie
Ready for a great 2013
. I really love having the mojo back and being on the losing side of the battle is quite fun.
That, of course, isn't good for a bipolar person. But I do love the manic swings. Mostly I hate the depressed swing. Anyway, my dr says Oct to March. To upload a picture on 3FC, you have to have it small, something like 100kb. There's a site to make it easy. Here's a 
BTW, just read your post. I really have a problem with a list of good foods and bad foods. My belief is that if I’m told NO then I will crave it till I get it. I have no bad foods (except the deathly allergic foods and that really does curb any cravings for them). Moderation and enjoyment is my method.
