Just a thought--your weight will generally fluctuate a lot on a day-to-day basis, depending on how hydrated you are, where you are in your cycle, etc. It might be very discouraging to weigh yourself that often.
That's just my opinion, of course. Do whatever you think will work for you.
My son's Bar Mitzvah is just a few days away! Lots of last minute scurrying around. The luncheon has many healthy options--assuming I have time to eat. I figure I will need to circulate to all the guest tables to thank everyone for coming. I am really looking forward to this milestone.
Mazel Tov!! Hope it is a wonderfully joyous occassion.
Just remember the most important thing is to NOT stress, just have a good time.
I have 2 under my belt (15 and 13 boys) and the next one isnt for another 11 years.... so theres plenty of time to relax!!!
Yeah Right, like college is gonna be such a breeze!!!!
I've decided that I'm going to weigh in DAILY this week - cuz' waiting until Saturday and then finding out I hadn't lost any pounds was VERY disappointing
I thought about that too after I made my nomoreweighingfortwoweeks resolution. I promptly went out and bought a scale and have been weighing myself every 20 minutes since then -I finally had to take the batteries out today to stop myself. I have discovered that there is about a 5-6 lb fluctuation throughout the day. Why don't we call that gain just weighing at the wrong time of day?
Congrats Elanajel on the milestone, you must be pulling your hair out. Happy Birthday & Mazel Tov to your son. Is the Bar Mitzvah on the birthday or just somewhere around it? Sorry to be ignorant but TN isn't exactly a hotbed of Judaic scholarship.
Thanks everyone, for your good wishes. The biggest challenge right now is my niece and nephew's severe (i.e., life-threatening) food allergies--soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish. We are having several kosher catered meals that includes the good ol' favorites like lox and smoked whitefish salad (hold me back--it's one of my big weaknesses!). SO now I have been e-mailing with the caterer to make sure there is no soy flour, peanut oil, etc. I really want my sis-in-law and her family to be able to come to the kiddush. She and I don't have a great history together so I'm really trying hard to make sure this works. I think since it's a big family occasion we both want to get thru it without our usual sniping at each other. Apparently the lox will be OK but hot fish isn't which changes everything for the Fri. night buffet....etc....
Anyway, the main point is the service and not the food (amazing when Jews say that!).
I will check in when it's over and let you know how it went. Max's goal right now is to burn a mixed CD that includes The Clash and AC/DC. I'm pretty sure I had mellow Israeli music in mind!
Thanks Elana for the advice! Honestly, I can't be more discouraged than I was on Saturday! So this morning I weighed in and had lost a pound and a half since yesterday. Go figure. We'll see what happens tomorrow!
Congratulations on your son's passage. I too am somewhat ignorant of contemporary Jewish customs and have never attended a Bar Mitzvah - sure wouldn't expect AC/DC music if I did though! Ah, modern life!
Julia - I know what you mean about the scale. I am trying to diet and lead a normal life, but since I tend to be all-or-nothing, I find that I am THINKING about dieting and THINKING about weight all the time, so I just try to weigh in the mornings before I eat anything - or else I'd be like you and weigh in every 20 minutes!!!!! Ugh! My hubby continues to lose a little bit every week, but his weight fluctuates a lot and he can gain and lose in a matter of days.
Some of my 6th graders nicely gave me Barnes and Noble gift certificates and the end of the school year. I just got avery helpful food/fitness 60 day journal
(title: The 60 Day Food and Fitness Program and Journal, author: Brad Peterson, ISBN: 0-9728846-0-2). It's much better for me than my small weekly WW journals, which didn't have enough space for the info. that was useful to me.
This one includes calorie counts/fat grams for lots of foods, incl. fast food restaurants, help on setting fitness goals, and lots of space for entering daily food including time ate, amount, your calorie balance left for the day, comments on how you feel during the day, etc.
I don't count calories--I use the WW points but I use this for tracking points and it's working fine.
Another steamy day here today--very high humidity. I'm taking Max to a friend's house and then buying the tableclothes for the Bar Mitzvah reception. I may try to stay in an air-conditioned mall all day (not that I'm a fan of malls, but at least it would be someone else's utility bill).
Today was the closing program of my children's elementary school year, so we didn't go to the gym until later. I can't believe the difference in going first thing in the morning - I was DRAGGING today! Then, because we missed our cardio training yesterday (a super busy day) I got my hubby and kids to all go for a long walk in the nearby park. It was VERY invigorating. I read somewhere that the energy from 20 minutes of exercise is equivalent to a 2 hour nap!
I'm sick and tired of dieting. I'm on the scale daily now and think I'm down by half a pound, but I'm not counting anything until official weigh in day on Saturday. If I saw some results, I'd be more motivated. I am faithfully dieting, but just not putting my heart into it!
My name is Dawn. I'd like to join you guys in losing about 15 or so pounds. Sometimes I almost feel embarrassed about complaining about how hard it is & how unhappy I am with my body because I know that so many of my friends have so much more to lose. I definitely remember that the weight just melted off when I was bigger though. I am 33, no husband, no kids, plenty of free time...in short, no excuses at all for the fact that I've been gaining weight lately. I was up to 160 pds last year due to some medical issues. I lost down to about 124 but started picking up pounds again a few months ago. Now I'm up to 135. I am hoping to stop this downward spiral with a little help. I'm on Atkins but not religiously. I guess you might say South Beach with a bit less carbs? So far its the only diet I've ever lost weight on. BTW, Laura, just my opinion but I don't think you should weigh yourself so much. it's a downer. I have a goal of 115 because I'm so short but I firmly believe that how your clothes fit is a more accurate way to tell if your getting fit. Hang in there! Good luck to everyone!
Welcome Dawn. Sorry you are feeling so discouraged. Do you exercise much/at all? That has really helped me keep the weight off (18 lbs. lost from last May-Nov.) and even tho. I regained a couple, I have committed to more exercise and I think it's helping.
I like weights workouts with free weights and a stability ball. There are some very good DVDs that show different moves.
Hi Dawn and welcome. I agree with Elana that regularly exercise is a key to keeping fit and slim. I also had lost down to about 128, but slowly gained a few back - then in December I hurt my leg (which was actually pain from a disk in my back) and had to stop jogging (which I LOVE and MISS) AND I took 10 days of steroids (after nothing else worked) and my weight QUICKLY went up. It was so discouraging to see my clothes not fitting and when I dragged my fat jeans out of the back of the closet, I almost cried.
So I'm determined to get back to that slimmer me - as you seem to be. I think having some people who are motivating me (hence - this website) is a big help. Do you have a friend/family member who'll diet or join a gym with you? It's SO much easier with a partner!
Anyway... Good for you for being motivated to lose what you've gained now. Easier to lose 14 than 24!
I went to see WAR OF THE WORLDS yesterday - Anybody else seen it? I thought it was okay - but not great.
Thanks for the warm welcome guys! I dont' think I am TOO discouraged, more mad at myself, not that that helps either. I do exercize every day but right now its mostly just walking the dog. I checked out a video from the library but yep, you guessed it, that lasted two days. lol. I don't have an exercize ball right now (mine popped) but I do have some free weights & a small mechanical stair climber thing. I don't notice where the climber does much but I try to do at least a half hour on it when I watch movies. I have been doing ok with the weights except that my tennis elbow is starting to flare. Anyone know any ways of calming the flare down??? My muscles are just starting to ache & it feels nice. I hate to back off now. I have a few friends who could use workout partners but alas they all live over a half hour drive away & none of us have gas money to spare at the moment. I guess I need to try & start meeting some of my neighbors. I know just waht you mean about the steroids by the way, I was on 60mg per day for over 8 mths. It is what set in motion my whole fat fight. I think I might go to blockbuster & see if they have any good workout videos, the one I got at the library is very slow & dull. I at least need some music. Thanks again!
Argh--I just posted a huge note on how I am managing the Bar Mitzvah stress (huge milestone for my son, happening tomorrow) and it's lost. Nevertheless, good news. I am managing the stress and NOT overeating. Booked a massage and hairstyling for this afternoon. Yes, it's true the caterer delivered all the food (on time) and NO BEVERAGES but dh will head out to Costco and it will be fine.
Welcome Dawn, I have to third everyone's recommendation to add some more exercise. The first couple of months I had to make myself go 2-3 times a week but now if I miss a day I feel like there's something wrong.
Quote:
I like weights workouts with free weights and a stability ball
Me too, me too! I just started lifting weights relatively seriously and I really like it so far. I have already seen a big difference in just a few weeks. I can see the teensiest of muscles starting to poke out from under the blubber layer and it is very satisfying.
Hey Elana, how went the Bar Mitzvah? Good for you not letting it get the best of you.
I went to a party last night where the food was all BBQ, cream cheese stuffed mushrooms etc. I tried to be good but I think I ended up consuming about 30 cocktail shrimp to make up for all the other things I WASN'T eating. Today is another day.
I have an appointment at the gym on Tuesday to have my body fat measured. Wish me luck, I suspect it's going to be an exercise in humiliation. I've only officially lost about 1 lb in the last 3 weeks so I'm calling it muscle gain and moving onward & downward. On the good side, I tried on some clothes yesterday and was not completely disgusted at what I saw in the fitting room mirror.
Hi everyone - hope you're all having a happy 4th of July - here in Mexico it is just another day, but we did sing a patriotic song with some friends!
I have lost a pound, and though it is slow, it is encouraging. I'm DETERMINED to lose two pounds this week, and be under 140!!!! Even one and a half will get me there!
My teen-aged son and friend are home from college (home being Mexico). We all went to work out at the gym and he showed me the little "line" formed between biceps and triceps - it's a goal to have one, apparently. Well, lo and behold, I had the little line! Woo-Hoo! Guess those trips to the gym aren't in vain!
Hang in there everyone! Shrimp aren't such a terrible fall, Julia! Unless they were saturated with fat or some kind of dressing, they are actually quite healthy. (aren't they?) The stuffed mushrooms would have been worse.
Do you take a diet free day? We started that with the Body for Life program and it sure makes life easier to know that I can wait until Saturday to have whatever it is I'm dying for today.
My name is Janet and I just joined the forum, today to be exact. I'm looking to lose about 20 pounds (close enough to 15, right? ). I live in Central NY and have been feeling incredibly frustrated at the fact that I'm constantly watching what I eat and exercising (I try to do at least 4 times a week in the gym, about an hour each time) and nothing seems to happen. Nada, zippo. Even more frustrating is that I just got back from an overseas trip where I ate pretty much whatever I wanted and still seemed to have lost 10 pounds, yet the minute I got back here the pounds seemed to start piling up again.
I'm not on a particular diet - just eating healthy meals and not eating all the time (I have a tendency to snack when I'm bored). I hadn't tried any support groups so I figured I'd give it a shot. This group seems like a pretty cool bunch of people, so I thought I'd say hi.
Daily weigh-ins can be very discouraging
-I finally had to take the batteries out today to stop myself. I have discovered that there is about a 5-6 lb fluctuation throughout the day. Why don't we call that gain just weighing at the wrong time of day?
Weighing In...
Go figure. We'll see what happens tomorrow! 
Exercise
Then, because we missed our cardio training yesterday (a super busy day) I got my hubby and kids to all go for a long walk in the nearby park. It was VERY invigorating. I read somewhere that the energy from 20 minutes of exercise is equivalent to a 2 hour nap! 
I'm on the scale daily now and think I'm down by half a pound, but I'm not counting anything until official weigh in day on Saturday. If I saw some results, I'd be more motivated. I am faithfully dieting, but just not putting my heart into it!
I also had lost down to about 128, but slowly gained a few back - then in December I hurt my leg (which was actually pain from a disk in my back) and had to stop jogging (which I LOVE and MISS) AND I took 10 days of steroids (after nothing else worked) and my weight QUICKLY went up. It was so discouraging to see my clothes not fitting and when I dragged my fat jeans out of the back of the closet, I almost cried. 
Thanks again!
Guess those trips to the gym aren't in vain!
