I can totally relate about the chips. My weakness is french fries. I just love them. I could eat them with every meal. I've been doing pretty good this week though. I haven't had fast food once! Yippy. I didn't really have a weight workout, so I looked one up on the internet. I just started it yesterday so I will tell you how it works later. I can tell you that I am pretty sore today!

I was very active in high school too. That is why it is so harder when we get older because counting calories and watching what we eat is new to us. I used to eat whatever I wanted and never gain an ounce. It is a totally different story now. I sit at a desk all day and dream about my next meal. How sad!!

Anyway, I am getting married in October. This is still a tentative date. I keep going back and forth between October and September. I have to decided soon though because they are both quickly approaching. Congrats on going to the YMCA twice this week! That is a great start. I went yesterday and I am going to try and force myself to go tonight. I'll tell you how it goes...

How do you stay on the treadmill for so long? I get so bored! My max is 30 minutes. I know I need to stay on longer, but I find it hard. Any suggestions would be great. Have a great day...talk to you soon.

Hi

Dont push too much with those shin splints, they will get worse! you need to totally let them heal! try doing something for the upper body cardio wise?? tae bo style work helps, like twisting/ punching across the body side to side, or using light upper body weights (even canned foods, just do some reps while watching tv)
You can lose weight fast, but be beware, that coming OFF the plan is harder! your body craves badly and as soon as you start reaching for food again, it is very very hard not to start binging, the body will try to gain some back, it is a natural reflex ( thus yo-yo dieting ) but it can be done. Also watch for your feelings! when you lose weight quickly your emotions don't adjust and you can be at your normal weight and still feel very fat? that can be confusing? Last year(2004) through Optifast (medically supervised VLCD) i lost 116 pounds (in about 8-9 months), but by the end i still hated my body? then i gained 30-40 back. Luckily i stopped it there and regained control! those pounds are nearly gone again, but this time it was diet and excercise!

I can also relate to chips! once that bag is opened it is as good as eaten. So i try not to have any in the house, which is hard with family! GROWL!!

I used to use a treadmill but got bored, i used to watch a movie, or listen to music, or even play the playstation (when only walking), but it still bores me. That is why i am trying outdoors running, but i am very self concious! (i wish i could get past being self concious, i am at "normal weight" and i still hate to wear anything tight or body hugging? )

Ms. Gehlhausen~

I like French fries too, esp. from McDonald’s. I haven’t had fast food this week either, so YEAH to us both.

Yeah, please let me know what you’re doing for exercise. As for me with the treadmill, yeah, it can be boring, but I keep pushing myself. The thing that helps me is, I take my daughter’s portable CD player with headphones and I listen to songs on a CD that I have a bunch of songs that “Inspire me”. Some of the songs are what I want at my reception next year and some other one’s just “pump me up”. It gets me to go faster…it works for me. Also, by looking at the amount of calories I burn and how far I go, it helps. I push myself to reach, like 3 miles on there and to burn like over 700 calories (which I did today), and that gets me to go farther. Hopefully this will last.

I am gonna try to get up early in the mornings to do early workouts, so I don’t have to worry so much about her dad watching her. He is busy a lot with his work and sometimes that can cause conflict with someone watching her. I could always bring her to the daycare room at the YMCA, yet with her blind issues and such, she is demanding and I would just prefer to keep her with people she knows, like her dad.

Let me know how things are going and guess what…YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Icedragon6669~

Thanks for your advice. My shin’s hurting were not fun. I would ease up when they started to hurt. It would come and go on the treadmill. If it gets worse, I will definitely have to do more weight training instead OR something less traumatic on my legs.

In the past, I was on a low carb diet as well. I lost over 40 pounds in 2 months. (Yeah, not healthy and a lot of water loss too I am sure.) I had a goal to look good, because it was going to be my first trip to Las Vegas, and you know…want to try to look good there. I enjoyed Vegas let’s say and I had compliments from guys out there, even though I was with my fiancé. LOL Sure enough, a few months later, I fell off my bandwagon and I gained it all back, plus some. It sucks. I totally know this is going to be tricky and hard when I want to go back to eating more carb’s. I think a lot of it too is, I have cut down my portions and I need to learn to keep it under control. I am eating so little calories than I use to. I figure that if I lose too slowly, the healthy way, like 5 pounds a month, per se, I will only lose about 30 pounds for my wedding. I should have buckled down much sooner than now to lose the weight. I tried and failed and now I don’t want to, yet I am rushing.

What exactly is Optifast (medically supervised VLCD)? And that is a lot of weight loss… Congrat’s to that!!

It gets hard to buy chips and not eat them (as my daughter and rest of the family eats them). Yet I keep thinking “WILLPOWER”! WEDDING, DRESS!!!!


LOL

Opifast is like slimfast. it is dietry meal replacements. but with optifast you only eat that... NOTHING else!!!!!!!!!
you can buy it here at the chemists, in the last 12 months it is now available without perscription.(google it, they have a website)
One serve is about 200 cal! so having only 3 a day is only 600 cal!
If you use the soup ones, you can have 4 a day.
They taste nice (unlike some meal replacements) and i loved the chocolate dessert.
But it is soooooooooooo hard to stay with, I would cook the family dinner, have my shake then go for a walk so i don't have to watch the family eat!
The first 3 days you go into ketosis (starvation) you get headaches and feel really really sick, but get through that and you are fine.
It has the nutritional needs for your body, but the body then turns complety to fat! to get energy. It strips the fat off you!
You are allowed as much diet pop you want with it, and up to 2 cups of steamed veges a day (for fibre)
You lose on average 4 pounds a week! (first week i lost 15!)
I would do it again (if i got to the point where i was obese again)! but coming off it was the killer for me! it does not teach any good food habits, and once you start eating again, something fires in your brain saying eat eat eat! you can come off it slowly (2 shakes and one meal, then 1 shake and 2 meals)
I only did it because i was sooooo unhappy , and hated myself soooo much, i needed a quick fix!
But I would recommend doctor supervision, there are some side effects? luckily i came across none, some i think are dizziness, headaches, hairloss, some have said galstones! At 280 pounds i did not really care? but i also walked a lot! (although excercise is not as important, your cals are sooo low, that the body burns the fat anyhow)

VLCD stands for very low calorie diet.
I think in the USA they have it called MEDIFAST?

Not for the faint hearted though? and i hate to think what it did for my DD's seeing me live on only milkshakes, i tried not to make a point of it.

But it got my weight down, and although i regained to 214, i managed to stop myself, I really didn't want to get back to 280.
Now it is all healthy eating and plenty of tough excercise! I want the fitness! and to be lean. Not just SKINNY!

Thanks for explaining what Optifast is all about. I checked out the website. Looks tempting. Right now though, I am going to see how my plan goes. It’s funny that you mentioned Optifast and about it being lower calories. I have been consuming calories pretty low these past few days. My sister commented that I am going to kill myself, but I feel good and I am listening to my body. Like for instance, yesterday I had about 500 calories. Today I had about 650 calories. I also make sure my fat amount isn’t too high or my carb’s. I lost about 5 pounds now within a few days. Probably a lot is water, so we’ll see how it goes. I continue to exercise as well. I didn’t make it to the YMCA today because being New Years Eve, they closed at 2 pm. I tried going at 2:30 pm. Instead, I went for a 40-45 minute walk outside. I NEED to exercise everyday if I can. Hunger is an issue for me at times. Tonight I got hungry so I grabbed 14 baby carrots and 3 peanuts in the shell. I feel good now. I guess that is all I needed.

You lost a lot of weight in a week..WOW. If I can do what I am doing and lose quite a bit of weight a week, I am happy. I just have to stop thinking about Pizza and all those foods. My mom wanted to know if my fiancé and I wanted to go out tonight on New Years Eve and I thought about it and thought “Nah, I know at this point I have no solid willpower and will grab something to eat somewhere. I just know it. So I avoided the temptations.” LOL

I see that you’ve lost weight doing other than Optifast. How do you do it??

Be careful on such low cals, make sure you are getting all the nutrition you need, maybe a multivitamin is a good idea! and if you feel dizzy have something (a piece of fruit, rice crackers ) just something to pick you up a little bit.

Now i excercise like crazy (i need to pass a fitness test) now my rountine is day 1 - 1 hour hard weights, day 2 - 5.5 km run, day 3 - rest day. sometimes i will add an extra day in of something like kayaking, or biking, i just do something hard for about and hour, at least 4-5 times a week.

And eating ,i will eat 3 meals and 2 snacks.
yesterday i had.
breakfast - 2 weetbix, 1 teaspoon splenda, 1 cup no fat milk and a chopped banana
snack - i cup low fat , flavoured yoghurt
lunch - salad sandwich ( and yesterday i had a tofu burger in it! but even something like tuna, low fat ham, chicken breast)
snack - a fruit cup (made with 1 packet diet jelly/ 200 ml boiling water (dissolve the jelly then add -, i cup drained canned fruit and 200 ml yoghurt . blend it all. and put into 3 containers and left to set in the fridge.( each serve is only about 60-80 cal)
dinner - roast pork (no fat), peas, corn, carrot, brocolli.

That would have been about 1200 cal. if you change some of the snacks it can be lower. Instead of yoghurt just have a piece of fruit, cut out the corn in dinner (carbs)
Thats the way i eat now, but i am adding bits back in now, like potato, bread, but i am trying to add back in slowly. I just try to refrain from the all or nothing thinking i am so good at... Like gee i ate a piece of chocolate, might as well finish the block!.

Thanks for your advice. I am definitely keeping an eye on my body and what it’s telling me. Yesterday I got really hungry during the day, so I had an orange and I actually was getting kind of full after eating it and I felt satisfied. I think my stomach is adjusting to the smaller portions. Also…I have been so proud of myself for not indulging in chips like I normally do. I have also been keeping up with my exercise. I went for another walk outside today since the YMCA is closed until tomorrow. It was snowing out, but I bundled up my daughter in a warm jacket, snow-pants, scarf, hat and mittens and put her in the sled. I tied the sled rope around my waist and walked………for about 40-45 minutes at a pretty good pace, some uphill making me pant…and pant… Hopefully tomorrow I can get to the YMCA early to do my workout. I am so pumped now to lose weight. I keep a picture of me near my laptop of my highest weight. I was on the Scrambler amusement ride with my daughter. Honestly, I was embarrassed then because I realized the lap bar was snug around my belly. Gosh, how big I had gotten and how big I am!!! I look at that for motivation to keep going. Also, on my laptop is a picture of my fiancé and I when I was about 205 pounds a few years back when I lost 40 pounds (but gained it back afterwards) but I looked much better than I do now. That is another goal to look at to get like that and then lose more than that.

I should be taking my multivitamins again and my calcium pills since I am not eating as much. Thanks for reminding me.

Gained one pound since yesterday. That is frustrating to see, considering I have been eating less and exercising everyday. I keep saying it is water fluctuations or muscle gain... This morning I got up at 5:50 am and headed out to the YMCA at 6:10 am. I did 1 hour on the treadmill, 700 calories burned, 4 miles walked fast. AUGH..... Then some weightlifting afterwards. I am hoping to go tomorrow. I feel good right now though. I took a shower when I got back and even though I am a little tired from getting little sleep last nite, my body feels energized and refreshed. Crossing my fingers I can keep this up................

**Sorry those little smiley icons are cute.....

Hi Guys

Had a bad couple of days!
My run made me sooo tired. And feeling down, so i have to admit to a total of 3 bad food days! SIGH!
i have trouble finding a middle road! i can eat low cal! and stick with it, but when i start upping it towards maintainance i lose it? and start eating a ton???

Not to mention the house is still full of christmas food, and with a family of small eaters, I just get sick of seeing it!

Alas back to plan tomorrow, it is a weight routine day!
I am also trying to weigh in only once a week! that is a toughie!

Sonja

Hang in there. I know it's tough finding that middle ground. Don't give up trying, even if it becomes a rollercoaster. Eventually you will find what's right!

Hello girls! Sorry I haven't replied in a few days. I've taken a little vacation. I actually go back on Thursday and I am not looking forward to it. It's hard to go back because there is temptation everywhere!!! I've been doing pretty good. I went to the gym today and yesterday. I am supposed to meet a friend in the morning. I'll let you know how that goes. I can't believe you stay on the treadmill for an hour!!! I'm going to try and work my way up to that. I've been trying the stair climber and that things just about kills me! I'm just going to add a minute everyday and see if it gets any easier. Keep it up girls...I can just feel the pounds slipping away...

Ms. Gehlhausen~

Welcome back! Keep us posted on how things are going. Keep focused.....I'm trying too.

Hi guys, things have been quiet around here!
How is everyone doing?
I am doing well, gotten in some running, and a weights workout this week!
Food has been good!

Hey girls. Glad to hear everyone is doing okay. ValRN, How can you eat so few calories???! Aren't you starving all of the time? I have been watching what I eat this week. I've been being good about going to the gym. I have to force myself to get up there or I will quit going all together. Congrats Icedraggon on such a great start this week!