Great news, Dagmar!! What kind of dog is she? I hope she is a wonderful match for your family!

Hi paperclippy: I'm a lurker and rare poster on the maintenance threads, but I thought you might find this interesting for your dog with anxiety. Several of our vets here recommend it. Thundershirts for dogs or cats:
http://www.thundershirt.com/

Good luck with your pet.

Liana

Trixie is the bigger dog resting her head on the smaller one.



Dagmar

Dagmar, that sounds so cute, but I can't see the pic you uploaded. Congrats on the new doggie! No wonder there are so many shelter dogs since they make i so hard and expensive to adopt them.

Work is piling on, so my exercise (just walking) might take a hit. But the scale is at 137.6 this morning.

I came so close to breaking my own rule of no snacking last night when I got home from work after 9pm.I had had an early supper and by 9pm was quite hungry.I resisted the goodies at work and when I got home I ate some cucumber and that was still not enough.DH has some Haagen Dazs ice cream in freezer.I opened the container and then stopped myself.I thought of the things I did when strictly dieting and made 1 scoop whey protein powder in coconut milk.Also had 1 teaspoon coconut oil and went to bed.
That somehow held me and I got through the night comfortably.This morning I weigh 134 and feel good.
I love reading about all the animal and kid stories from you maintainers.

We had leftovers for dinner last night and the servings were smaller than I had intended. I really thought that would justify breaking into the Haagen Dazs gelatto I have in the freezer. But DH didn't seem to be bothered by the smaller size and didn't indicate he wanted dessert, so I paid it no mind. We went to bed at about 8:45 and read for half an hour or so and then I was up at 4:00 to work out.

And my weight is down another pound. I like how this is working!

Yes ali..it is quite amazing that we can avoid extra calories by simply leaving the table earlier ,drinking an extra water or even going to bed earlier.These have been my strategies to maintain.And of course no snacks especially late at night.I certainly do allow some HaagenDazs for dessert as long as it fits in my calorie total.I just try not to add to my total by mindlessly eating that or anything late at night.Last night was different because I felt I could be tempted if I did not have something and good old reliable whey protein did the trick.I only used 1 scoop(55 calories)and the milk was about 40 calories.That satisfied me and I did not binge on ice cream late at night.I do eat good low carb highish fat meals prepared in my crockpot that are approx 500 cal each.That is quite a bit of food and satisfies me so that I am able to resist snacking.I just had zucchini spaghetti with cheese and sauce.Very satisfying and only 300 calories.I have stopped wine since my Thanksgiving fiasco and that is approx 150 to 300 less per day.

Apo9, is the whey protein/coconut milk sweetened with anything, or flavored? My protein powder is just awful unless I mix it with something that has flavor, and hides the grainy texture somewhat.

I found this interesting.

Susan Jebb, professor of diet and population health at Oxford University and chair of the UK government's responsibility deal with the food and drinks industry, suggests that people who are overweight may have to resign themselves to a lifetime of strategic dieting, with the aim of once every five years losing at least 5% of their bodyweight.

About gradual regain: "If you think of obesity as a chronic relapsing condition, you could say well maybe every five years you have to diet for 12 weeks – I'm not sure that feels so untenable a position when you think of what we ask people with other chronic diseases to do, whether they are injecting insulin multiple times a day to control their diabetes or whatever. Say, every five years you have to have a really concerted effort to lose 5% of your bodyweight.

"Maybe that's the price we've got to pay, which is not to say I condone fasting, bingeing, dieting, regain – of course I'm not. Nobody sets out to lose weight and intends to put it back on. I'm just trying to manage people's expectations."


Article in the Guardian.

Birchie Even though it could sound like they're trivializing other serious illnesses I think obesity IS a serious health threat. So many studies link it to so many other issues. So why not have to "treat" it (diet) every 5 years and have ongoing preventative measures (maintenance eating)?

Makes sense to me. I have never been obese but I have been overweight - 25 lbs. Now I'm keeping it to a 5-7 lbs. regain but I have relapsed and regained several times. Am going through that right now. I think if I view this as a disease, rather than an act of vanity, it might help me focus more.

Of course this is all my own opinion and not in any way scientific but I think I'm going to try this. Now I have to come up with a name for the condition - fatitis? Sorry but I find a sense of humour about all of this is essential.

Dagmar

Birchie, thanks for sharing the article. Her advice makes sense at the population-wide level, but each person is individual.

I fall into the category of ppl for whom weight management needs to be a lifetime concern, so that resonates with me. I was obese as a young child, and since then there have only been a few short periods of time that I wasn't trying to maintain (but regaining) or actively re-losing weight (and those short periods where I wasn't trying were periods of faster weight regain).

In the past when I used CC, there was no way I could fix my "maintenance" regain in 12 weeks every five years! What a laugh! Similarly, her advice about switching away from pop and making junk food less attractive in stores would have zero effect on me and my family. But I'm sure it would help some families.

Would those numbers really work for most overweight people? Weight management wouldn't have been such a drag for me if that was all it took. Again, she is looking at populations as a whole, and most ppl weren't obese as children over 40 years ago. Maybe 3fc isn't representative of most ppl who have been overweight, but I get the impression that 12 weeks every five years won't be enough for the typical regainer.

My WOE is now self-adjusting and I don't plan on any 12 week gung-ho efforts ever again. My most recent weight loss was quite slow, but maintenance is working for me, and if I do regain, I plan to attempt to lose it slowly again.

The author of that article seems to be talking about theoretical people!

In the past five years I have regained most of the weight I lost. 12 weeks of dieting to lose 5% isn't going to get me to normal weight.

Makes me wonder whether the author actually has worked with any obese people.

Being overweight correlates with some serious diseases, but that does not mean it causes them. It could be that overweight is itself a symptom of other conditions, such as high stress. Losing weight while keeping everything else in one's life the same may not reduce any risks. My humble opinion.

I also think it's different for those who gain weight later in life versus those who have always been overweight.

Neurodoc..My whey protein powder contains stevia and it is called Proteins+ made by Genuine Health.I love the taste and the texture is good enough to only add water if desired.I firmly believe it has helped me lose and maintain.Two scoops for breakfast keeps me going till lunch.

Anyone have any recommendations for beginners? I tried reading books about it but never got through them. I think a simple step-by-step DVD would be a good start and THEN I'll try the books again.

Thanks!

Dagmar

Dagmar, just a suggestion from a long-time meditator--you don't need books or DVDs to learn how to meditate. It is really very simple. Here are basics:

1. Find a quiet room, preferably without pets in which you can sit comfortably.
2. Turn off phones, etc. Complete quiet isn't required, but it helps to manage the things you can that interrupt attention.
3. Sit comfortably. You do not need to be sitting cross-legged on the floor. An upright chair will do. It's good to keep the spine straight, but don't be rigid about it. Rest hands in your lap or on your knees. Don't feel as though you shouldn't move at all--this isn't necessary.
4. Close your eyes if it helps you, or keep your eyes half open and soft. No need to focus on objects or look around the room.
5. The easiest way to begin is to focus on your breath. Don't try to control your breathing, just notice it. Breathe through your nose, and count the outbreath. Count to ten and then start over.
6. If you like, you can set a timer, or just peek at the clock from time to time. Try 10 minutes to start with.
7. When time is up, open your eyes, take a deeper breath, and stretch a bit before going on with your day.

The idea is to allow one's mind to become quiet. If thoughts arise, you just note them and let them pass by, while continuing to count breaths. If you lose track of the count, it's no big deal. Just start over. Don't run away with your thoughts.

This is really all there is to it. It's not an endurance test and there is no punishment. Let the mind settle down.