General Weight Loss Support Thread

jokettle

As promised, one of the calculators I use:
http://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr

nirvana78

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out. I can feel the shift in mindset growing. Sometimes it's just about putting the problem out there, the support will find you.

Dolbert

This week I'll be mostly eating more veg, and more often in general to avoid getting catastrophically hungry! I've knocked my evening can of diet coke on the head too, that stuff is muck. I'm not forbidding any treats, and just by knowing that I can have something, makes me want it less. The mind is a fascinating thing!

strelok

jokettle wrote: »

I even weigh my knife, scoop out some peanut butter, and weigh the knife again so I know how to log the peanut butter and ryvita snacks I have occasionally! Last night I snacked on a handful of mixed nuts and I weighed it out before eating. I always weigh my cheese before packing it into my lunch for the day. It's an invaluable little gadget.

would it not be easier to weigh the peanut butter jar before and after you've scooped some out?

Alf Veedersane

strelok wrote: »

would it not be easier to weigh the peanut butter jar before and after you've scooped some out?

Thinking outside the jar.

jokettle

strelok wrote: »

would it not be easier to weigh the peanut butter jar before and after you've scooped some out?

Me no do maths good smaller numbers are easier to work with! But either way works.

jokettle

The weekend wasn't great for me in terms of tracking my food, because all day Friday I was at a training course where food was provided and on Saturday we were visiting relatives. But, I got back to it on Sunday, drinking loads of water and walking the dog for as long as his tiny legs will take it

Scale hasn't moved since Friday morning, but that's ok. A couple days of a stall is nothing!

nirvana78

I was a mixture of both good and bad over the weekend in terms of the choices I made, it was like I was easing myself into a new start today. I'm up since 5.45am with the kids and since then I've made excellent choices in terms of planning, tracking and implementing. I've downloaded MyFitnessPal and will stick to 1200 calories per day. I plan to drink 4 pints of water throughout the day and go for my walk in the evening.

Currently I have a BMI of 30.5, with 44 lbs between that and the middle of my healthy BMI. Half a stone at a time is what I'll work on. Up to Last week I was stuck in a rut with an ever expanding gut, this week is so different, I'm looking ahead not down. It's a no brainer, I like what I see ahead, I don't like what I see when I look down.

Emmaline81

I use MFP which is a great help with my dieting and as I'm on 1200cals a day every ounce counts!
I started off at 16st2lb in 2010 and lost 30lb that year, then got stuck for quite some time until I put my carbs much lower which has meant another few pounds off here and there. Trouble is being 81 and therefore quite sedentary plus the meds I have to take every day for the pain doesn't help!
It's an ongoing problem but I am determined to get to 11st at least which means I need to loose another 44lbs altho' my "proper" weight should be around 9st8lbs which I have never ever been even in my young years.

Oh well!.. Onwards and Downwards.. hopefully..

nirvana78

Emmaline81 it's nice to see someone else is facing the same challenge as me, 44 lbs to lose. Good luck with your weight loss

Ilyana 2.0

Hey, thought I'd get in on this! I've posted in this thread in the past, but I'm back again

My weight has crept up a lot in the last two years or so, where I was once a size 12 I'm now a 14 and if I don't get my act together I'll be heading for a 16. I was nearly an 18 at my heaviest as a teenager, and my confidence was rock bottom.

Height: 5ft 1
Current weight: 161 lbs
Goal: 130 lbs (less if I can)

So, I've got my work cut out. My biggest issues are snacking, emotional eating and booze. I resurrected my old MFP account today, it's set to 1400 cals for now but if needs be, I'll tweak it accordingly. I'm currently not working so I'm making all my meals from home, which is good. My main goal right now is to sub in veg or rice cakes for bread/rice/pasta, up my protein and cut down on mindless snacking. I've a few social things coming up this month, so I'll be keeping the red wine to a minimum, and having a couple of gin and slimlines instead.

Seeing such a high number on the scale was the shock I needed to get into gear. Best of luck to everyone

Daisies

Yay for people to help motivate me. Let's see,my background, about 18months ago I was running 6-7k 4-5 times a week and in combination with watching what I ate, the weight dropped off. Then I joined a small group training gym and found of love of weights and saw my body change shape. Then last year I went away for two months, came back, moved apartment and am now a member of a regular gym. I managed to maintain a pretty healthy balance up until Christmas. Even during my masters exams and working 3 days a week in conjunction with a full time masters, I kept up regular sessions. But, since Christmas, I've put on about 6kg and am struggling to get my head back in the game.

jokettle wrote: »

Oh, one other tip! I should have mentioned it earlier: a food scale. I got a digital one in M&S for about. €10, you can get them cheaper off amazon. This is just as important to me as myfitnesspal, because I am TERRIBLE at estimating portion sizes. I weigh everything as I cook, otherwise my calorie count would be all off.

I even weigh my knife, scoop out some peanut butter, and weigh the knife again so I know how to log the peanut butter and ryvita snacks I have occasionally! Last night I snacked on a handful of mixed nuts and I weighed it out before eating. I always weigh my cheese before packing it into my lunch for the day. It's an invaluable little gadget.

I realise the above might sound a little obsessive or neurotic. However, I know I have to be more accurate with my food than just taking the attitude of "sure feck it, be grand" because that's the attitude that saw me gain weight in the past. So, maybe consider a food scale too

I am the EXACT same. I have to weight everything, I can't judge by sight. It takes no extra time. I have a super cheap scales from Tesco that you can zero. So I turn on the scales, put on my almond butter, press the on button again and it registers as zero, then when I take some out it comes up with a negative number. No maths needed!

Emmaline81

I weigh everything meticulously as it's surprisingly easy to go well over my daily allowance with just an extra spoonful of something and in my situation it doesn't take much for the weight to go back on again!

Dolbert

I have a wedding coming up and will be wearing a knockout dress if I do say so myself! It's got a boned bodice and designed to be worn tightly, so there's not a spare centimetre in it. It didn't fit a few weeks ago and now it does, so NSV for me! I'm going easy on the carbs until Saturday just so I have a little more breathing space (and yes, it's absolutely worth it!)

jokettle

Today I'm wearing a skirt that I bought in the sales at the end of last summer. It fit me then in the sense that I could zip it up, but the spare tyre was painfully visible. Today, no spare tyre And as soon as I walked into the office this morning, one of the girls complimented my outfit!

It's lovely to get a wee boost like that, especially when the scale has been moving down at the pace of an arthritic snail.

gandalf

Just started on my latest weight loss journey nearly four weeks ago. I'm a tall guy 188cms in my forties. My weight has yoyo'd over the years. I have been a victim of what I call brain-dead eating habits. Basically eating crap or to much without any though.

Four weeks ago I decided enough is enough. I also discovered MFP and have been tracking my calorie intake religiously. Up to last Friday I have lost 5.7kgs. Tomorrow is weighing day and I am hoping it will breach the 7kgs mark.

I also discovered that I could pair it up with Mapmywalk and if I'd like beer or something naughty I'll go for a good brisk walk to have a calorie boost on my daily allowance.

I have a long journey ahead but at the moment I can see my goal and I have confidence I can reach it.

jokettle

14 pounds down!! That's 10% of my starting weight, and only 4 pounds to go until I reach my goal

nirvana78

JoKettle I read your post about your skirt this morning, it gave me a big boost today because I've been there in the past and I know how good it feels.

Well the two kids were loaded up, one in the pram and one on the buggy board and off we went. It's half a mile on a country road to a boreen so flat out to there, ploughing up the hill in between. Once onto the boreen of course the toddler hops off and runs, so I made a game out of it, who could run faster? Haha. When he stopped to jump in each puddle I ran on the spot. We done another half mile then turned around and back again not forgetting the big hill on the way home. It felt like a great workout, I was well chuffed.

I've stayed within my 1200 calories, in fact I still have 180 left and drank plenty of water. Please everyone keep us updated on your milestones, they can spur the rest of us on.

Alf Veedersane

And this is why we post!


Everyone has a story about what they have done and it inspires others. Which is why this thread is so good!

Penny Tration

I joined slimming world 2 months ago, I need a regular weigh in and to feel accountable!

However, I'm not indulging in carbs and sugar like sw allows.

I'm hitting 50-60g of carbs, 120g protein and 30-40g fat each day, at 1200-1400 calories, 3.5L of water.

So far I've lost 19lbs, another 65 to go!

Aiming for 6lbs in the next 4 weeks before my holiday.

I'm finding it easy, so far. Some bad days, but that's allowed once I pull it back. Going well so far, losses are steady and I'm noticeably losing inches. down 2 sizes on bottom and one size on top.

Ilyana 2.0

7.4lbs down in five days! Either I had a LOT of water weight or my scales is banjaxed. Probably the latter but I care not ��
I've been super disciplined all week, weighing and logging everything and drinking lots of water. I want to incorporate some weight training soon too. It hasn't been too tough yet, though I have been a bit hungry at bedtime the odd night.

I've decided to make Saturday my weigh in day, because if I allow myself a treat on the weekend and it affects my weigh in on a Monday, I'll probably be discouraged. We're having a gang over tonight and a takeaway will probably be had, so I'm just going to have a small portion of whatever, stop eating when full, and try to avoid crisps/wine etc. Wish me luck!

Dolbert

I've been an angel for the last week, cut way back on carbs and sugar as I want to fit comfortably into a dress today. Result: up half a pound It's probably because it's nearly time of the month but seriously, wtf body? At least my dress fits...

cactusgal

Dolbert wrote: »

I've been an angel for the last week, cut way back on carbs and sugar as I want to fit comfortably into a dress today. Result: up half a pound It's probably because it's nearly time of the month but seriously, wtf body? At least my dress fits...

Ahh that's annoying. But yes, could likely be time of the month alright.

Well done to everyone on their weight loss, sounds like you're doing great!

I fell off the wagon and stayed off it, unfortunately

Current weight 151.4 (I'm 5'3). Goal weight 125.

Got back on the wagon yesterday, went out with a friend but had a small portion of dinner with no starter or dessert, etc, and it was plenty. Had just one quarter bottle of red in the pub that I sipped slowly and made it last. I really do overeat and overdrink so easily, if I'm not being careful.

Since I've gained (about a stone over the last two years), I've been unable to fit into my jeans and trousers, have been living in leggings and I'm so so sick of it. Last night, I squeezed myself into my biggest pair of jeans, wore a loose top over them and just said Feck it, I'm determined to wear jeans again, and this is gonna be a constant reminder all night about what I need to do. I WILL once again wear trousers without an elasticated waistline!!!!!

Question for you all: Do you input exercise into My Fitness Pal, and subtract the calories burned from your daily calorie intake, or do you only eat the daily amount of calories?

Thanks! Let's keep inspiring each other! The warm spring weather this weekend is a wakeup call!

jokettle

I never* eat back my exercise calories. From all I've read, most trackers seem to vastly overestimate how much you burn, sometimes as much as 50%. To me it's not worth the risk.


*the exception being, if I've done a huge amount of exercise - eg walking the dog and running around all day and a weights session and a Pilates class - and I'm absolutely starving after having my allotted calories. On those rare days, I'll eat 2-300 more. This makes sure I'm still below maintenance.

gandalf

Weighted myself on Friday and another 2.1kgs down so that's 7.8kgs in a month. Absolutely delighted, just another 29.7kgs to go to hit my first goal.

Daisies

I've had an issue with binge eating in the evenings over the past few weeks with stress and I weighed myself on Friday. I'm 5kg up from my all time low in Nov (also the last time I weighed myself). It's the kick I need to get my ass in gear. I have no junk in the house (because I've eaten it all) and I've written out little, non-food related, treats that I can buy when I hit 3 days, one week, two weeks and one month of no bingeing.

Redser87

I do put my exercise in to mfp but would still only eat whatever I had planned for dinner. Maybe a slightly larger portion if I did an intense session and am starving.
Great to come across this thread, I started out at 65.5 kg at the start of January and am trying to get to 58. Currently just under 62 (am 5'4). I weigh in twice a week, Mondays and Fridays, so am hoping for another drop tomorrow.

jokettle

Haven't eaten much today, due to a combo of sleeping late, getting distracted doing some work (on a Sunday! Feck sake) and walking the dog, so I've plenty of calories left for a takeaway this evening Thai food is ordered, logged in MFP, and I'll be keeping half for tomorrow's lunch. I should still have 250 calories left afterwards for some snacks. I love days like this!

cactusgal

Dunno if it was water weight or what, but I weighed in at 151 on Saturday, was pretty good all day Sat, and then was 149 today. Yay!!! The top of my 'comfortable weight' is around 140. I don't ever want to see 150 again, unless I'm pregnant.
Was out last night, but alternated a glass of wine, then a big bottle of sparkling water in the next round. I got back at 2.30 AM, but only had two glasses of wine all night, where my usual self would have gotten wine with every round of drinks.
Bought a little electronic weighing scale from Argos yesterday so I can be more accurate with MFP and know exactly the calorie intake (though my BF told me he'd only seen kitchen scales used for weighing weed )
I really feel in control, usually the weekends are a huge, bingey bust, but this one was good! I wanna stay on the wagon!!

Dolbert

This month has been crazy for social eating and drinking! We've had a big event at work (lots of wine and Italian food), a wedding, then it'll be Paddy's Day and Easter! That's partly why I like to track my monthly weight loss too, as some months are better than others but you still generally see some movement. So far I've got:

January: -5.5lb (pretty much the weight I gained at Christmas)
February: -1.5lb (lol - but still, movement!)

Maybe we could do a tally at the end of every month for fun? I'm not expecting much for March but it might help to see if we've lost something