Well this morning was official weigh in day. After week one of counting those calories I'm down 4.6 pounds! YaY I must say, I didn't expect that at all, and I'm sure most of it's water weight and my body is in shock, but hey, that's 4.6 pounds less I'm carrying around every day. My goal next week....try to add in a little bit more exercise and lose 1-2 pounds. I want to aim for a slow steady weight loss the right way, instead of rushing it and give my skin time to catch up when the pounds start melting. You ladies have a great day!

I need to get back to posting regularly. Life has been very busy. It all started with me running a 5 mile race in March and then my B'day was in April, and well, I let posting on her not be a priority. But it should be. I am more focused when I post on this thread.

I'm leaving to go to Spain at the end of the month and I have so much work to do. The good news is that I have lost 30 pounds since I started calorie counting in Feb. The bad news is that for the last 2.5 weeks I have not really been watching what I eat and thus I have stayed the same. My goal was to get down to 155 before May 14. I'm at 160 now, but I don't think I can make the goal. Well, I guess I don't really want to. Right now, I'm thinking about what I will eat for lunch (and let me tell you, it's not a good thought). Anyways, I guess will just enjoy today and start fresh on Saturday. Just wanted to check in with everyone.


I'm playing a weird game with myself. Everyday I've been getting on the scale and since it's has not moved I figure, Great, I can keep on eating like I am. But I know I need to clean it up or it won't be long until those 30 pounds are back.

Well, I'm off to this wine event for work. I'm taking provisions with me just in case the food they provide is junk (breakfast is supposed to be pastries~sugar in my body in the morning does BAD things to me.) I'll keep track of what I eat and let you know how I do. Everyone have a great weekend!

Oh, and I'm down to 170. WooHoo!!!

Calories Wednesday: 1400
Calories Thursday: 1386

I actually saw 186 this morning. I know I jumped quick on changing my weight tracker but I think it will help me stay on track this weekend. I just can't believe I lost during TOM.

Tinky ~ http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...puppysiggy.jpg I have lots of furry babies of all sizes and those are my favs because they have to behave. HAHAHAH! We have two horses, one pony, two dogs, a cat, rat, rabbits and a bird. Well the last is a feathered friend but still spoiled. HAHAHA! Wow, your Mom is small, look forward to being there with her. WOW, I think its odd that your coworkers think is funny your counting calories. Most all diet plans, even fad diets, are really low calorie diets. The biggest difference is we get to chose what we eat for our calories and our calorie count.

Allison ~ I hear you on being busy. Mine is finally slowing and I can post again.

Zenor ~ About half the people I work with are men and oddly enough I think they notice more than the woman. I can tell some feel odd when they compliment me because of all the rules.



Littlered ~ http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...HappyDance.gif Here is a happy dance for you! I think someone got your birth year wrong. I have never looked at your profile before, you don’t look any older than I do. Matter of fact, I think you look younger than me.



Heather ~ http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...5252Dgroup.gif I tried SB but decided not to do the introductory phase. Then I decided to do calorie counting. It worked before and its working again and it allows more freedom of choice.



Carrie ~ WOW, http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s..._th36_2_25.gif that would be brave drinking that much water before bedtime. I would bloat also and get up several times during the night to tinkle. I think those are very realistic goals since I have the same goals except I want 1.5 – 2 lbs a week because I have a little further to go than you, I want to be down to 130 and I want it off by January 25, which is my 40th birthday.

Zoe ~ You are a strong woman, I would have eaten. 180, I am looking forward to that number. The lowest I have been in over a year is 179 and I think that was for a week and then I zoomed up.



Natalia ~ http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...th_Welcome.jpg. WOW, the food you are eating sounds wonderful and lot like some of us eat.



XJenn ~ http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...th_welcome.gif WOW, your doing a fantastic job. I like your goal of 1 to 2 lbs, very realistic and achievable.

July is a busy birthday month in my family also. My Dad’s is the 24th, my bother and ODD is the 2nd and my Moms is the 5th. Then we added our anniversary in there on the 26th.

I agree that 3FC has been the greatest find for me. I had read articles about plans the have tried and the likes and dislikes. Finding the CC was the greatest find because I had thought about it because it had worked in the past but didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I had been on a restrictive program, or should I say trying to do a restrictive program, for over 5 years and yes I had success but just couldn’t do it anymore. Calorie counting opened up a new world for me and I never realized how well educated I really am about nutrition. HAHAHAHA! I have never had a better relationship with food than I have now, no more stressing about what I am eating. I LOVE THIS!

You all are inspiring, and every one is so busy and doing great. I’m new here and I don’t have any little ones running around and frankly I’m not all that busy. I’m working on my small business but that’s basically it. I have hard working DP and I workout at home with free weights and I walk about an hour a day. My 40th birthday is in June.

My calories levels are a lot higher than most of you but I’m losing and wanted to ease into it. Plus I don't want loose skin. I also don't want to be hungry. So as long as I lose eating 2000 calories I'll continue with it.

I never thought I could eat 2000 calories a day and drop pounds. I love to cook, too. So the freedom to eat whatever I want is the coolest thing about counting calories. I can’t stand be restricted either.

I'm looking foward to reading your post and posting myself, I believe I've found a special place with plenty of special people.

Salsakym ~ http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...oupflowers.gif I Like your user name. Makes me want to do the salsa. HEHEHE! Seeing as you are losing at that calorie count I would stick with it. I would love to be able to eat that amount but unfortunately I don't lose at that amount. When I first lowered my calories I was really hungry each time but after a week or so I got used to it.

I new find. I found a lower calorie Wasa than what I was eating. The light Wasa's that I have been eating are 30 calories a slice and the new are only 20. I know its not much but every little bit helps. The new are lighter and fluffier than the other.

Here are my two favorite snacks to have during the day:

Fat Free Red Roasted Pepper Hummus - 4 Tablespoons = 48 calories
The new version Wasa - 2 slices = 40 calories
Canned sugar free Fruit - 1 serving (1/2 c.) = 40 calories
Snack total: 128 Calories

Light Laughing Cow Cheese - 2 Wedges = 70 calories
The new version Wasa - 2 slices = 40 calories
Canned sugar free Fruit - 1 serving (1/2 c.) = 40 calories
Snack total: 150 Calories

All are so yummy and enjoyable.

Well I better get going for now.

Thanks for the warm welcome GrammyL. lol, I know this 2000 calorie bliss won't last long but hey, I'm gonna ride as horse as long as I can. ;) I love hummus I think I need to make some. You know, I was thinking maybe I'm losing at this caloric level (aside from being so large) is basically all natural foods, no transfats, and no hfcs. I don't know, cause I'm no expert.

I'd better get off of her and get some work done....

Littlered...Congratulations on the 29th anniversary coming up! That is wonderful.

.......................

I've been monitoring Cholesterol and sodium in Fitday:

Cholesterol is supposed to be under 300 a day and I generally have around 30mg per day. But if I just have two eggs, it skyrockets to 500. lol

Sodium is supposed to be less than 2400 and this is a tough one. I generally get 2400 to 4500, and this is while I'm eating relatively clean for weight loss! Imagine what we eat when eating out.

GrammyL- You have quite a family of fur babies and feather babies , well I'm having a heck of a time socializing my Pug and her new brother! LOL It's slowly coming together but it's quite a process. Right now they're sleeping on the couch, at opposite sides.
I love the freedom of eating what I want, but I do try to keep it mostly healthy.
This is so much better than a structured diet.

Ugh, TOM has come to visit me, so I'm trying to find the power to exercise.
That could explain why I feel so darn bloated too!

Well have a great Friday evening.

Well, I'm up a pound to 145 this week :tantrum: . I'm having a hard time concentrating this week. I'm going to quit smoking tomorrow (which I've tried in the past) but this time it is so important to me to make it. I just don't want to fail again so I have been working out my strategy to cope with the cravings. I'm still going to try to stick to my healthy eating habits and exercise. Hey, maybe I could exercise a little more to keep the stress down :hyper: . I think that might help with the weight loss too.

A little while later . . . I just found out that my in-laws are coming to visit tomorrow. I'm not real comfortable around them and with trying to quit smoking, I'm sure this is going to be a really bad day. I'm trying to take a real deep breath and just survive this weekend at this point.

Anyway, wish me luck and congratulations to all you big losers :D . You should be so proud of yourselves :congrat:

Good evening, ladies, hope everyone had a nice Friday!

Tinky - The only time I could say that I wished I hadn't exercised is during my TOM. It can be so draining. But I found that I didn't get cramps or bloating as bad when I exercised. (And I never get cramps anymore since I started using my DivaCup.) I have heard that evening primrose oil is good for mellowing out our hormones. However, I haven't seen that old friend in over a year now. Wonder when it'll come around again.....I know a mom that hasn't had hers in 2 1/2 years. Chalk another one up for breastfeeding.

coolmom - I say, as long as your week averages out okay, it's fine to have a day that is way over.

Theresa - Yard work can be so fulfilling. Being outdoors, close to the soil. If you look closely, little bits of nature show up. Today, my husband was string-trimming the edge of the house (someone else is supposed to do it, but our HOA stinks and the grass hasn't been cut this year) and he saw what he thought was two spiders "mating". But he said that it didn't look like that exactly, and called me out there to investigate (I'm the family scientist. That girl.) It was actually one spider, and s/he was molting the exoskeleton. I've never seen this happening in the wild before. Wow......

Welcome salsakym!! I'm sure that the reason that 2000 calories is right for you is because your diet is excellent. Eliminating trans-fat and HFCS and going whole grain are so good for your body, and 2000 calories coming from all whole foods versus from all processed foods are two very different things. In a recent study I read about, mice were fed diets with either natural fat or hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils (trans fat). The fat content was the same, though. The mice receiving only natural fats were not only healthier than the trans fat group, they gained less weight. On the same amount of fat. The only difference was the type of fat. The theory is that since trans fats are man-made, our bodies are very inefficient at processing them. The body doesn't know what to do with these fats and so it stores them. I avoid trans fat because the fat that is in my milk is the fat that I consume. So if my diet has foods that have trans fats, then my babies are drinking trans fat. They are just too precious to consume that stuff.

And you say that you're no expert. But you are an expert on you. :)

Grammy - I'm waking every hour or so, and I am not bothered by getting up, using the bathroom, and then coming back to bed. I fall asleep instantly. My babies are only waking to nurse 1x nightly, sometimes never, but I still wake up frequently to check on them, adjust the bedding, snuggle and of course, make sure they're still breathing (still do it to my toddler, I think it's an instinctual thing), etc.

I love the snacks you described. I love Wasa but I haven't seen the light ones.

zenor - I know exactly what you mean about the sugar in the morning. Now that I've been eating so well, sugar makes me very moody, because of the blood sugar fluctuations, I guess. My depression has improved immeasureably since I've cut a lot of it out of my diet. Reminding myself of the low I'm going to feel after having this cookie/cake/icecream helps me to control the cravings - still get terrible cravings in the evenings.

Okay, so the last couple days have been off plan. Friday - Sunday my sister was visiting, then my parents up on Sunday for the day, Saturday my BIL comes for a visit, Tuesday and Wednesday we went fishing/hiking, today my girlfriend and her two kids visit, then tonight we go to the Hispanic "Fiesta". So I've had a lot of busy things going on, and struggled each day to stay with my plan. I could feel my resolve to lose this weight slipping a little at times.

I think I need to jump start myself back into this. Something to firm my resolve back up. Maybe a detox day? Extra exercise? Green tea? Any suggestions? I could just pick right back up where I left off, but I really think that doing something that was symbolic of my commitment to this would be a moral boost as well.


Okay, so here was today:
Total: 2311
Fat: 86 772 34%
Sat: 23 211 9%
Poly: 8 74 3%
Mono: 19 175 8%
Carbs: 246 896 40%
Fiber: 22 0 0%
Protein: 146 586 26%

BREAKFAST: egg, ham in whole wheat wrap
SNACK: 1/2 Kashi Pumpkin Spice Flax granola bar
LUNCH: large salad with rotisserie chicken
SNACK: Chick-fil-a nuggets that my girlfriend brought and left. Knew I shouldn't be eating but I couldn't (no, wouldn't!) stop myself. And I had some chocolate chip cookies and cool whip. What was I thinking! :dizzy:
DINNER: chicken fajitas with corn tortillas at Hispanic "Fiesta", skim latte

I'm drinking a glass of HOH now and waiting on my second cup of green tea to steep. I now have oatmeal in the house again, so that will be breakfasts again instead of eggs and meat as it has been for the last couple days. Thinking about how I really, really, really want to see 185 on the scale on Friday. I know that is going to require a whole lot of work.

But I also know that this is the best place in the world to get the help and advice and support I need! You all are awesome! :grouphug:

calorie needs equation?
 

Your weight-loss equation:

655 + (4.4 times your goal weight in pounds) + (4.6 times your height in inches) - (4.7 times your age in years) = base calories

Multiply this number by:
1.2 if you get little or no exercise
1.3 if you're somewhat active

The total is the number of calories you should eat each day in order to reach your goal weight and maintain it.

Has anyone else ever used this?

I just did the formula and it said my basal cals are 1349.2, and for a sedentary life (1.2) I got 1619 calories.
I bet I'll be able to maintain on 1619 but right now my cals are closer to 1349 lol
and it's coming off at the recommended "clip" so I'm going to keep it up.

I did a calxular someone posted last week , and figuring everything and with the sedentary lifestyle, it gave me a calorie amount of 1549 for weight loss. So this one is a bit more generous than a couple other tools I've tried.