Hi!

So this is my first post here and just looking around I think I'm going to find these boards really useful! Anyways, I have a few questions that I hope some of you can answer. I'm working hard right now to lose this baby weight after having DD. Last I weighed myself (a few months ago) I was 221 at 5'6" but I know I've definitely lost quite a bit since then since I've gone down at least one size in clothes and the results are pretty visible now! That being said I still have a long journey to go. I'm doing it by running about 5 times a week (2-4x) and cutting out sugar completely from my diet (otherwise, I eat pretty healthy and am a big fan of veggies but I was WWWAAAAYYY too addicted to sweets before!). So that's a bit about me, now for the questions:

1. How did you pick a goal weight? In high school I was 140lbs, which was pretty good at the time, but my body's changed a lot since then. I've nursed DD for a long time and also I do more strength exercises now so I'm just on what to shoot for here? I'm also pretty well-endowed (same when I was in high school too) and have a pretty muscular build so I know I'm probably never going to be at the lower end of the healthy weight for my height.

2. Did anybody lose without calorie counting? I've tried so hard to do it and it never lasts! I know how to eat well (like I said, sugar was really my weakness). My other big thing is eating poorly if I don't have time to cook or there is no food in the house. It's so hard to keep up with a toddler and still eat on time and something healthy! But I'm really working on that.

3. How much did you have to lose before people started commenting on it? DH and I are losing together and we do pretty much the same things but he's gotten a lot more congrats comments so far than me. I'm really proud of him but I can tell I'm losing too but nobody seems to notice and I actually had a check up at the doc once and she made a point to say how I'd gotten fatter since the last time I was there (and that was 2 years ago, when I was still in the early stages of pregnancy with DD!).

Hi runningfromfat!

For a goal weight I picked a weight I'd been comfortable at before. I may want to adjust my goal as I get closer, but it was nice to have a general number to shoot for. You don't need to feel like the number is written in stone, it is flexible as are you!

I calorie count in general, I find it helps. I eat alot of the same meals over and over again because I like them and know what their counts are so it is easier.

I'm sure it is frustrating that you aren't getting positive comments yet, but just know that you *will* get them, and they'll be great! I think it is different for everyone when the changes become really apparent to others, so hang in there, it *will* happen for you, too!

Good luck!

I chose my goal weight based on pretty much nothing. I thought 146 was a good number to shoot for. I've never been below 165 in my adult life, so I have no idea how I'd look at 146 or even if it's possible for me to get to that weight!

I figure, if I get close and feel like I've hit my real goal, then I'll adjust it accordingly

You have some great things going for you! You love veggies, you're already in the routine exercising which will do wonders for toning you even if the scale doesn't reflect any changes, and you're cutting out sugar. I think those changes will take you far!! The key is to be persistent about them. As for counting calories, I'd say practice portion control instead, if that works for you. It IS possible to eat too many veggies. For me, it's fruit.

I chose my goal weight because it made a nice round number of 100 pounds to lose and it's also 10 pounds into my healthy weight range, according to BMI. That's as scientific as I got. To be honest, I'm wearing a size 10 now at 168 and pretty happy with my body, so I'm not sure if I'm going to make it to my goal weight or not, but we'll see. (Strength training...it does a body GOOD) Also, you mentioned your body and nursing. My breasts grew enormously with each pregnancy and nursing, but they have shrunk considerably. Not that yours will, but it's amazing what those babies do to us!

2. I mentioned calorie counting already. The important thing is to find something that works for YOU and it sounds like you already have!

3. I lost 30 pounds before anyone started to notice. The more we have to lose, the longer it takes for people to notice. Recently I lost just 15 pounds over the summer. Coming back to work after the summer everyone thinks I've lost all 70 pounds just over the summer! So I guess 15 pounds when you're smaller is a much bigger deal. The compliments will come!

1: Never been thin so, I just picked a weight that I liked, lol.

2: Low Carb is the way to go if you don't like counting calories. You've already cut sugar so it shouldn't be too hard. I lost 60 pounds in 5 months doing low carb (although I did count calories)

3: It takes a while, I've lost 25 pounds and still no one really notices. Unless people are already analyzing your size, it'll take a while for them to notice. You can take it as a compliment though.

I haven't bothered picking out a goal weight. I'll worry about it when I get within sighting distance of it. It feels pointless to me to worry about whether I'll stop at 165 or 160 or 170 when I haven't even seen 200 in 10 years.

Instead of a goal weight, my goal is to make the right choices at every opportunity to do so.

As for calorie counting, I don't count calories every day. But I do count calories for a few days every month or so, just as a reality check, since portion sizes tend to creep and vigilance tends to wear thin. I do believe that my loss goes a little more slowly since I don't count calories. There are almost certainly days when I eat a couple hundred more calories than I would if I were counting vigilantly. That's a trade-off I'm prepared to make, in exchange for an approach that is realistic and sustainable for me. It's a very personal decision.

I chose my goal weight based on what was a comfortable weight for me before I gained weight. I also took into consideration the BMI chart and made sure it was a healthy BMI, right in the middle of "normal."

Calorie counting and writing down everything I eat in a food journal is what works best for me, but I've also completely cut out sugar and white flour.

Friends started to notice my weight loss after I lost about 20lbs, but my family noticed right away that I was making healthier eating choices and exercising and were really supportive, so that helped alot.

If you don't have time to cook, maybe try keeping some healthy frozen meals around for emergencies (I love Amy's brand), also some quick snacks like sugar-free jello, egg whites, cottage cheese, raw veggies, fruits, etc. Those things help me.

Welcome to 3FC! I'm glad you found us. I know it can be a long journey, but if you keep on keeping on, you CAN do this!

I used to pick a goal weight of 150, just because it's the lowest I could imagine being. But when you're as heavy as I am starting out, that number can seem really daunting. This time, I'm setting my goals in chunks. Decades, and 30-pound measures. So my first goal was 280. This one is 250. NExt one will be 225, then 200. THen I'll probably go by 10s. I really have no idea what my goal weight will be until I'm further along. My adult body has never been "normal" weight, so I don't know where I will settle.

I have tried it many times without calorie counting. Cabbage soup, Pritikin, Atkins, exchanges, food pyramid, just focusing on whole foods and lots of fruits/veggies... but they never seem to work for me more than a few months. I need the accountability of calorie counting. I'm on the computer all day anyway, so it certainly doesn't take much to jump over to MyPlate and log what I've eaten. Once I'm in the habit, it's effortless to maintain... like brushing my teeth. I find that when I log my food, I am MUCH more likely to stay within my calorie range, my carb limit, and be more aware of things like fiber and sodium that aren't major things but that I want to be better about (raising one and lowering the other, obviously).

Many people can lose without counting calories. Weight Watchers and other plans like that use exchanges and similar tools instead of calories. But I know of very few plans that actually work long-term without logging of some sort. (Atkins might be the exception, but a lot of folks find that even with low-carb they can't eat more than a certain number of calories and still lose)

For me, because I'm so heavy to begin with and I wear baggy clothes that I haven't replaced yet, I'm only now beginning to get a few comments. My husband notices, and one of my co-workers, and a couple folks from church. I always keep in mind the Paper Towel Theory.... it takes more weight from a large person to be gone for it to register as a change in people's vision of you. The smaller you are, the more a few pounds will make a drastic difference, and people are more likely to comment.

I'm losing weight without calorie counting. I eat healthy foods when I'm hungry and stop when I'm not hungry anymore! Well, I guess I eat healthy foods 80-90% of the time. I have done calorie counting, and I think it helps to do it for a period of time to get used to what serving sizes are, how many calories are in the foods you like to eat, etc. But then once you get used to it, it's possible (for me) track it less.

The key to losing weight without calorie counting (intuitive eating is what some call it) if total honesty. I notice that weeks when I'm not honest with myself about what I'm eating and what my body needs, I don't lose. If I am honest, I eat more veggies and less of other foods, and that helps keep me full (you can eat a lot of veggies!) while not taking in too many calories.

The lose is slow for me, but it's way more sustainable than anything else I've ever tried, which is really the most important part of any healthy lifestyle change!

Well, I'm on a medically supervised weight loss regimen, pretty dang low-cal with quite a bit of meal replacement. My protein is weighed and I have approved food lists and measured amounts I can have off said list, so I don't need to count. However, I will be counting calories once I reach my goal as I really don't want to regain any weight.

My goal is semi-arbitrary - it's approzimately what I weighed when DH and I married 10 years ago. That was the thinnest I'd ever been. However, I am 10 years older now and I'm not sure how realistic I am being so I may revisit my goal as it looms nearer.

Good luck to you!

Thanks everyone for the greetings! I'm thinking of just setting 140 as my goal weight. It's way off in the distance at this point but even if I don't get there and I'm somewhere close by I'll be thrilled!

That's a really good idea and I might try that. It's really hard for DH and I to calorie count because we both have to travel quite a bit for work so we have to eat out a lot and even if we're not eating out we have to cook foods in different countries (and many times they don't have calories listed on the packages!). One thing I've been trying to do is really avoiding packaged foods and cooking from scratch more. We're traveling at the moment but one of my goals is learn how to bake whole-wheat bread to avoid any of the junk they put in most store brought breads (plus I'm sure it will taste better!). However, checking up a few times a month really sounds doable. I'm not in a race for the quickest weight loss, it's more that I just want to be there eventually and have steady progress more than anything else.

That paper towel theory makes sense. I think part of the problem too is where I'm losing weight (arms, legs, and upper stomach). I still look pretty top heavy thanks to nursing and my big post-pregnancy belly is slowly going, but slowly! DH on the other hand has lost a ton of stomach fat and it does look pretty noticeable. I'm so proud of him because he's gone from a couch potato to a runner and working out together has made a world of difference for us both.

It's hard for me not to obsess about it too. I couldn't work out today because I was swamped at work and then DD went to bed really early (and has had a lot of night terrors so far so no chance for an exercise DVD either ) so no running for me. I feel soooo guilty now, even though it's about time I take a day off. It's hard to let go of the fear that the weight will creep back on.