desertmountain

I'm sorry for being away but I've been spending every spare moment in the yard & gardens exercising and just have been too tired to do anything more than log in my food & exercise. Today is day 25 of exercise & I can see and feel my body getting stronger - the yard work and gardening is the fun exercise, the rest of it is still like going to the dentist....sigh, but I'm hanging in there.

Almeeker: I'm so impressed and inspired by your progress & doing a 5K is absolutely awesome! Congratulations on getting to the XL! I'm really looking forward to shopping in the regular size stores again, that must have felt so, so, so great! Thanks for the info on the alternatives for flour...I was googling new recipes and experimenting. The weird thing that I've discovered here on Fitday (from obsessively logging every bite into my food log) is that I stall or gain whenever I eat starchy food, not just grains. I started limiting them and am back to losing and am finally 1 pound less than where I was when I started reintroducing starch 2 weeks ago. It's been 2 weeks of hell, sticking with the correct foods, cals, exercise ect and seeing the scales move in the wrong direction and yo-yoing up and down arggh. Been tough, but by hanging in there I'm learning new things about my body. I bet you enjoyed planting the seeds, what are you growing this year? I planted some summer savory & epazote seeds but it's going to snow today so they might not make it-New Mexico has strange & unpredictable weather for getting the garden started every Spring.
Pattialbert-That chili is killer. We've already wiped out another batch of it thanks again for the recipe. I'll keep you posted on the anti-aging magic potions. LOL
BellKiss-Welcome to the forum-you're doing great! I did P90 not P90X b/c it's slightly less intense. I'm getting motivated & in shape to do it again (more slowly though), maybe we can start at the same time to keep one another motivated.
Everyone is doing so well! It was so nice to come back and read all of your posts - I feel so close to everyone & identify with each of you. Take care & have a wonderful weekend!

almeeker

Happy Friday ladies!!! I'm here to report that I've lost 50 pounds and officially weigh one pound less than my husband! That's the first time I've been able to say that in almost 10 years. Whooo hoooo!!! I didn't even realize that it was a mini-goal for me until I was almost down to it, and then bingo, I thought "I'm smaller than him - again!" I think in the back of my mind it was an issue, I certainly remember the day I discovered I outweighed him, boy was that depressing! But no more!!!

I keep reading about setting small goals for the journey and at first I did that in 10 pound increments, but now I'm starting to realize that I can have some wacky very personal goals along the way. So my next goal is to get under 190 and then down to 182. I started at 244 and my goal weight is 120, so 182 is the halfway mark.

Congratulations disujo, 17 pounds is pretty amazing! Do you need to go shopping for some new pants yet? At the very least a belt and maybe some suspenders eh? Good luck at Chili's, it seems to me they at least have a salad bar, but it's been a very long time since I've eaten there.

Patti, good luck on the fruits. I can relate to that "I don't want to go" feeling. I have it every morning as I look at the elliptical, and then again for the whole first 10-12 minutes. I don't know how you do the carb-free thing, I think that would kill me. I'm doing a very limited carb diet, but still I eat 3-4 pieces of fruit every day and 2 servings of grain (low-fat, low-cal of course). You're a stronger, tougher woman than I.

Speedyfair, thanks for the deviled eggs idea. I'm getting a little bored with my regimen and was trying to think of something else I could eat. Deviled eggs here I come!!! I always do a veggie tray too, my kids always moan and say "oh mom, not the healthy stuff again". But let me just say that at school parties I've watched lots of moms take home or throw out bags of chips and cookies but the veggie tray always comes home empty.

All I have to say to belle is a dinner party 2 days ago and happy hour today? Some girls just have all the fun. The closest I've gotten to a "dinner party" in the last 9 years is a potluck picnic at the park with 3 other moms and 15 kids. Good luck at Chili's, it seems to me they have a few options that would fit the bill, but it's been a very long time since I've eaten there.

Hey desertmountain, congrats on all the gardening. I'm very jealous as I live in Michigan, so we're weeks away from being outside for planting, although it has been rather beautiful the last couple of days. In the summer I plant pretty much anything that can be eaten, corn, carrots, beans of every color, turnips, onions, tomatoes, radishes, potatoes, herbs, peppers both hot and sweet, squash, pumpkins, beets and new this year eggplant (if it will grow). We also have a raspberry patch, strawberries, asparagus and rhubarb. There is a reason I'm a fat girl, I have very green thumbs. And yes it was fan-freakin-tastic to shop the regular racks. Guess what size jeans I bought today? 16, a size I haven't squeezed into in so long that there aren't any in my closet. Not only did I buy the 16's, but I actually tried on a 14! Couldn't zip it mind you, but I got it on and pulled it up over my hind end. Looked good through the leg, hip and fanny, but alas my stretched out baby belly is still a factor...

bellekiss

so ladies I survived chili's (if barely) i didn't gain weight when i got on the scale today...still 266. i'm not ecstatic, but i am pleased.

i will report that one double (they have buy one get one free drinks) bacardi and diet got me quite tipsy!

now it's friday and i don't have any signs of slowing. tonight another happy hour at a neighborhood bar (easier menu than chili's) and tomorrow a fundraiser/party at a local private school (sponsored by bacardi! also very worried about the menu! i may cheat/take a break!)

so i'm disappointed i haven't exercised but i've had zero carbs today so i don't expect too much trouble when i get on the scale tomorrow, sunday...i'm a bit worried.

well ladies sounds like everyone is doing well. i can't wait til i can report i'm down 50 lbs...that's wonderful, congrats!!! i admire the gardening (i have a black thumb!) and i also love the devil eggs...yum

time to go get ready for happy hour! have a great weekend and i will be back monday if not sooner.

thanks so much for making me feel so welcome and for all the support!

HolaKitty

That is a huge accomplishment! Well done!!

I'm starting to get a little down this week. Over the previous 2 weeks I lost a total of 9 pounds but this last week (my 3rd since starting to diet) I've not lost any. The good news is that I haven't gained anything back. The only thing I can think of is that someone at work brought oreos in and I had one each day for 3 days. It is a bit depressing because I've been told by friends who have lost weight that you shouldn't ever deprive yourself of something you want, just eat very small portions. So I didn't think that one oreo in a day would have much of an impact as long as I was still eating very healthy meals. Now that I've not made any more progress I'm gutted! Do I really have to deprive myself of everything sweet and bad for me?

desertmountain

I couldn't agree with you more HolaKitty. I'm struggling with things along these lines,too. Between Fitday & SouthBeach I've discovered that starchy food like 1 small sweet potato & all grains causes weight gain or a stall. I'm wondering that very same thing & am not happy Maybe some ppl can do it, but some ppl can't & have to find another way around that mountain...let me know what you come up with. Right now I'm just putting my shoulder to it & pushing through but really am not sure how long I can stick to it realistically. Maybe it must come down to how bad do we want it, and which is more important.

kibcy01

Everyone is doing so well. I am excited that I am below 290 now - 289. I my first goal is 285 by 3/31 but I don't think that I am going to make it. That is 4 pounds in 9 days and I usually don't lose more than 2 pounds on a good week. I don't believe that I can limit my calories any more - around 1300 and eating very low carbs.

desertmountain

kibcy01 - of course you can do it. You may need to make some adjustments and tweak your program but you CAN do it. Like with other ppl who are loosing slowly (myself included) it may take longer and so we can't compare ourselves with the progress of others otherwise it's totally demoralizing. B/c of my latest fiasco with starches I'm down to losing an average of less than .5 pounds a week according to Fitday. I'm tweaking my program & making it work and refusing to give up. I need to find the lifestyle that works for the rest of my life no matter how slowly the pounds come off. Reminding myself of what I've learned (I have to really restrict starches) in each 'failure' makes them lessons instead.

When things happen & when our metabolisms are slower to begin with, all we can do is look for ways to rev up the metabolism, burn fat as much as we can, stay the course with our foods. Know that you are doing it. You will get to your goal for yourself & no one else and you ARE doing it.

Instead of reducing your calories, which can cause your metabolism to go into the starvation mode & slow down can you try changing what you're eating? Can you try adding more exercise? Even if those things aren't doable, think of what you can do and keep moving forward. You're doing great. I'd be doing the happy dance if I lost 4 pounds in only 9 days!

That's so awesome! 16s are fantastic!! Congrats! I bet you'll be zipping up 14's in no time at all at the pace you're going. As for gardening it's been snowing so I've lost all the seeds I planted outside. I still have tons of seedlings in a spare bedroom converted into a 'greenhouse' and have been spending a lot of time creating new (moving them) gardens. Tons of shoveling since the soil is so poor there's a ton of amending (shoveling) work to make the gardens grow organically. But, like you I love every minute of being out there. Man, you're growing a grocery store!!

AutumnHuntress

Hello all

I'm new to the Fitday forums...but not to Fitday or weightloss in general. 2 years ago, I lost 78lbs, got completely freaked out by my new body and put the weight (and then some) back on. In the past two years, I've struggled to regain that momentum...but I've failed miserably. Over the past month I've struggled with a back injury and sinus infection...and another 6lb gain....

It's time to do something for myself and get this body back into shape. ( I have 4 children...hope for more...and am a stay at home Mom.)

2 years ago, I got a taste of how good it feels to be healthy...and I really want that back. My biggest problems are eating too much and not enough exercise... and a love for chocolate and sweets lol.

Here's the sticky point...I do not want to go back to eating fat free, or processed foods. We've worked hard to get into a whole foods diet and I really want to keep going in that direction. I'm reading the book "Eat fat, Lose fat" by Sally Fallon and Dr. Mary Enig (Many of the foods we eat are from their cookbook Nourishing Trditions) We're also on a pretty strict budget...

Anyhow, I just wanted to share a bit about myself and thank you all for these encouraging posts. I have such a loooong road ahead and its nice to know there are other women out there in the same place right now.

bellekiss

so i guess this forum is addictive...in a good way

i'm here to report the scale was still at 266 this morning which is so great after going out two nights in a row! I did try really hard and only had fish dip and a veggie and cheese salad w mayo instead of dressing (since i'm avoiding carbs) and i had no alchohol

today is a different story...i decided to take the day off i'm not thrilled about this, but i haven't done badly. i had a turkey footlong from subway and a serving of cheetos puffs. i have a party tonight and i'll try not to overdo it.

thanks for reading and supporting!

love, belle

almeeker

Mini plateaus are normal. The human body is a tricky thing, it's very adjustable. It's getting the idea that you're starving it a little and now it might be gearing down a bit. I've had the same trouble time and time again. One thing I might suggest is water, and plenty of it spread throughout the day. I try for at least 12-8oz glasses. Some days I make it, other days I don't. I also like green tea, it's supposed to boost your metabolism and it counts as water. The other thing you might consider is that if you've recently started working out, you're starting to build some muscle tone. A square inch of muscle weighs more than a square inch of fat. So while on the scale it doesn't show, your body is gearing up to be thinner.

I don't think you have to deprive yourself completely, but you do need to practice strict moderation. Oreos have 70 calories and I don't know how many grams of fat each, so they might be slowing you down. Personally I would recommend a 100 calorie pack, a single chocolate kiss or a sugar-free chocolate pudding cup to control the chocolate cravings. You might also have a "protein" day (or 3 is even better really), that's where you try and push your percentage of protein calories up past 33%, but leave your calories where they've been. It's tricky to do that and eat normally, I usually eat lots of ff cottage cheese, tuna and egg whites when I'm trying to push through a plateau.