22 lbs by June???
 

Hi,

I'd like to lose a lb/week til summer. Any takers??? Currently 137 and would like to get to 115. I am just under 5'2''. Need additional motivation...137 has now become my "standard" weight after gaining about 5 lbs from inactivity while recuperating from a high ankle sprain. First need to get rid of that and continue (hopefully).

I'm down
 

Hi there! Your goal and goal time are similar to mine (25-30lbs by the end of May). So far I've lost 10lbs in the last 5 weeks (YAY), but I know that the closer you get to your goal, the more difficult it is because your body is holding on to that weight... so I will definitely need the motivation then.

I'm really into nutrition, so I like to talk about food and share recipes and stuff...

where you thinking about a weekly weighin? I've been weighing in on Monday because it gives me that extra push to be healthy and active over the weekend. So far it's been working!!

Monday weigh in sounds great. I also try to eat healthy. Don't eat out, no prepackaged food. Vegetarian, unfortunately eating more pasta. Need to increase the lean protein: usually tofu, beans, quinoa, chickpeas, milk and yogurt as protein sources. Brown rice, tortillas and wheat bread and (too much) pasta as carbs. Eat fruit daily, but not as much as I should...too few vegetables for a supposed vegetarian:o and congrats on the 10 pounds.

hey - I am a vegetarian too and eat too many carbs :p. I like the Mon weigh-in idea since the accountability would do me well. Just joined Fitday about a week ago. Have 12 lbs I would like to lose but I am still nursing my 10-month old so not sure if it will all go away before I wein him completely. Hope to see some progress though and it would be nice to get encouragement from others success. Good luck!

as far as protein, i read the other day that buckwheat pasta has the most protein of any other pasta. part of my diet was to get rid of processed grains (I was having a major problem with regulating my blood sugar, and crashes were causing me to binge), so i haven't been eating bread and pasta. i use spaghetti squash instead. have you tried it? it's sooo good... it does taste squash-y at first but if you add salt, pepper, and garlic powder, you can use it like spaghetti.

so what are your diet/exercise plans?

I'd like to get in on this too. Although, currently I have not achieved a -1.0 lbs a week rate (more like just half of that - but this, without exercising).

So now I'm going to try to exercise at least every second day. I'm planning to use the workouts included in EA Active Sports Personal Trainer (for the Wii) plus some interval workouts from nowloss.com. I started on Sunday with intervals, yesterday I did 1.5 hrs on the Wii (so much energy), but now my legs are dead after so many lunges, side-lunges, squats, etc so I'm doubtful I'll feel up to doing anything tonight...

BTW I have since replaced spaghetti noodles with spaghetti squash and I found the switch easy! I just slice it in two, scoop out the seeds and microwave (flesh side down) for 7 mins. I let it cool for 2 mins and then scrape the inside with the tines of a fork to make "noodles". The only thing I don't like so much is the texture after it's been refrigerated and reheated (too mushy?) so I buy the smaller squashes to have little to no leftovers.

Hi...I have set a goal of 32.2 more lbs by March 31st but 22lbs by summer may be more my speed :) If you don't mind, I would like to do my own weigh-in on Fridays if you guys don't mind me doing it on a different day.

Hello all,
Thanks for brining up the spaghetti squash. I have used in the past but sort of fell out of it. I will try it again. I have a son who is 15 yo, small for his age, very lean but he seems to have an extra stomach when I make spaghetti...it's by far his favorite. I have never used spaghetti squash with marinera sauce...usually olive oil/butter and herbs...does it come out OK with spaghetti sauce?

I'd be glad for more company on this journey, weigh-ins on Monday or Fridays are fine. Whatever works for you.

BTW, fairly new to this also....so MisaKitty (or anyone else who knows) how do you put your weight and goals at the end of your post? Thanks to everyone for responding. looking forward to seeing how we all are doing.

I'm in southern WI so, I won't be walking outside as much anymore...will need to do more indoor exercises as I'm So Cal. transplant and I haven't caught on with the ski, x-country ski activities--I'm somewhat of a winter wimp.

I am warming up the treadmill myself...I blew out a knee a few years back on ice so I tend to do more indoors...except for x-country skiing over the holidays.

In regards to your signature, go to the top of any forum page,look under welcome etlosenow, click on quick links, then scroll down to user control panel and click on edit your signature.

Good night ladies!

etlosenow, User Control Panel is also shortened to User CP at the top left (white text on the blue bar). When you edit your Signature, you write it out how you like. It's pretty intuitive so it will detect new lines (when you press Enter). To add color, change font, change size, you use highlight the text you want and use the control buttons at the top of the text box (same as when you write a post). Just keep in mind that when you change something, it has to be between the two "tags" that define the change.

ex. example bold red what written between the tags [*B][*COLOR="Red"] example bold red [*/COLOR][*/B] without the *'s

The spaghetti squash is great with spaghetti sauce and I've started using turkey meatballs (but lean hamburger works too).

Also, I've never had much of an appreciation for the winter time and haven't gotten into any winter sports. I don't have workout equipment other than a yoga mat (to soften the impact on my feet), some dumbbells, and the Wii. I also don't have much willpower, that's why I've been enjoying the Wii and intervals, I just listen for the next beep of the instructions... I get too bored of anything too repetitious - I can't stand jogging.... But, take it easy while recovering from your sprain.

Bobbienne, keep at it on the treadmill! I'd also like to lose 30 lbs-ish by the end of April because I start Summer courses in May and I want all my friends to ooooh and aaaah. I would also take me to within 2-3 lbs of a healthy BMI for my height. However, the -2lbs a week requires a deficit of 1000 calories a day and so far I haven't been able to achieve that... I think I could get to 20 lbs though as that requires 500-600 calorie deficit a day.

a.vannice & dawnmillions, as I'm learning more about nutrition it's become evident that carbs from fruit and vegetable are complex so I don't think you need to worry much about those, after that whole wheat and grains are better than any refined (white) carbs. I've cut out as many refined carbs as I could, white bread, minute rice, pasta, pizza, were staples for me and I've replaced them with any whole wheat versions that I could find....

On the subject of protein, have you girls considered protein powder (or bars) as a dietary supplement? I have one that's made from whey (a by-product of cheese making - made from cow's milk) (assuming milk and cheese products are something you allow in your diets) and for 22g, there's 90 calories and only 1g of carbs with 18g of protein. Once I started taking this I noticed that I was finally achieving the correct carb/protein/fat ratio on my nutrition pie chart (or thereabouts). I had trouble doing this before, I'm not a vegetarian, but the point I'm trying to make is that I think it must be a hard to do for anyone with just regular food and stay within your calorie limits for the day. Mine's vanilla flavored so I've been experimenting with dissolving it in water, milk, coffee. Also, I read somewhere on these forums that people who get maybe 20% or less protein a day will lose less overtime compared to those with 30% minimum protein (however, I can't cite my sources at this time so you may want to do your own digging).

Thanks for the tips re protein and using spaghetti squash. I used to use spaghetti squash all the time back home but I am in Germany now and it is hard to come by. I must make an effort to search it out. I love all kinds of squash so I don't mind the taste at all.

Another thing I have used in the past as a pasta substitute is yam noodles. They are super low cal and you can get them at Oriental specialty shops - unfortuantely I haven't come across those here yet.

I have found it impossible to get even 20% protein on my pie charts so far. I need to eat less overall I think and really focus on upping my protein intake. I have tried protein powders in the past but never really cared for them or stuck with them. I am quite active and since I am still breastfeeding I am having a hard time adjusting to eating less in order to lose.

So far I am happy with my exercise but would like to do more running. I have found increasing my exercise hasn't had much impact on my weight loss and have had better success in the past by being stricter with my food intake.

Hi,
Thanks for the info everyone.
I hope to use my currently neglected weight bench 2 x a week. (Tues/ Thursday perhaps)
and some cardio 3 x per wk. (MWF) I have some workout tapes I like and will usually dance if I just put in a good fast tempo CD.

So far I have lost 3 lbs in 3 days, which is more than I plan to do. It's just that I have been eating lots of fruits and veggies this week because I felt so bloated after the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and vegetarian stuffing from the long weekend. Today, I will probably add some brown rice and butternut squash/peanut butter stew to the menu.

If you're happy with what you're doing in terms of diet and exercise than that's what's most important!

I didn't exercise yesterday (much too sore and stiff) so I'm counting it as a rest day, but I also went over my alotted calories and fell into the over calorific needs (ie overeating) range. :(

I was presented with a temptation and I although I wasn't craving it I went for it anyways. It was a dinner with some friends but it was at a fast food place (we're poor students). I felt so guilty about it and kind of angry at my BF for suggesting it to me. We sort of argued about it and talked it out and made up. I was really upset with myself because I had worked out so hard the day before, and the food wasn't that good and upset my stomach. It just didn't seem worth it. It was like the work I had done had been erased with a stupid single meal. But, I've been depressed lately so there were other issues I was upset about. It was raining yesterday, so we had to walk home in the dark, in the cold, and it was generally just a depressing day and I teetered over to the darkside. At least I got a good night's rest and I'm feeling 100% this morning and ready to keep on track.

dawnmillions, don't be too surprised if you get most of your weight loss from restricting your diet. That's actually pretty normal (considering most of us come from a point where we were overeating in the first place).

I know what you mean when you say exercise doesn't seem to do too much. For example, when I am exercising with an elevated heart rate I will burn about 150 calories per half hour (at least it does for me - it's different depending on your weight). That doesn't seem like very much in the big picture, 500 calories for 1lb a week, or, 1000 calories for 2lb a week...

However, it will give your metabolism a kick-start, it will help you build muscle mass, exercising regularly can also give you more energy (more awake, more aware, more motivated), reduce your apetite (reduce cravings), and help you rest better (better sleep).

Now it's only been since Sunday since I started my exercise plan but I'm feeling the effects already! I'm already sleeping better and feeling less hungry. Today is an exercise day so I will let you know how it goes later tonight (I'm on Eastern Standard Time)...


etlosenow, your workout routine sounds pretty ideal. Don't be afraid to lift heavy weights when using your weight bench. I'd use my dumbells if I could when doing the wii exercises but it's too awkward to hold the wiimotes and the dumbells in one hand. I'm going to get a more resistant resistance band instead to try and get the same effect.

Also, peanut butter stew? Did I misinterpret that?


Comments:

1) Drink lots of water as this will help with burning fat.

2) Protein will help you curb your cravings for fatty, salty, and sweet foods (usually loaded with empty carbs) and help you stick to your diet plan. I don't recommend taking the protein supplement on it's own. Definitely eat some from foods like beans, peas, lentils, and meats and then supplement with a protein powder/bar/other supplement as needed. Try to aim for 30% on the nutrition pie chart.

3) Plan ahead. I usually go over my target calories if I don't have an idea of what I'll be eating or don't plan a lunch. It works best when I enter my meals into FitDay in advance so I can see what fits, what doesn't, and play around with the serving sizes until I get it right.

Hi all, I agree with the protein thing...I ate extra today and I will be over by supper...

Sometimes it is best to avoid restricting yourself too much during breastfeeding without professional guidance....however, having said that, that is when my weight piled on... I lost 20 lbs during pregnancy, eating a lot. When my child was born I was 30 lbs lighter than before, but then I gained and gained and have had problems ever since.

Me too.
 

I have a similar goal, mine is a little larger. I want to lose about 40 pounds by the end of May.

I just joined today and just kicked off my diet today.

I am a vegetarian also so i know how hard it is to stay away from the carbs.

Monday weigh in sounds good. If you all will have me.

Hi all,

Mischakitty: It is a recipe modified from a restaurant. It had been called Inner Warmth Peanut Stew at the Great Dane Restaurant in Madison WI...Along with lots of onions, garlic, ginger, cilantro, tomato,habanero peppers and pear juice, etc, it also has butternut squash chunks and chunky organic peanut butter thrown in. I usually make a large batch in the fall and freeze it into smaller portions. It's hard to get the full break down of the nutrition info since I am not patient enough to list each ingredient...overall I think it falls in the "healthy" catergory. I usually serve it with brown rice.

Ashley: Welcome Aboard!

I remember when I was nursing...I nursed my son and daughter back to back as they are only 17 months apart. Burned many extra calories then!! My daughter went cold-turkey and weaned herself when she was just shy of her first B-day...She went from 4 full nursings a day to ZIP!!!Ouch!!! then came the extra pounds to increase the (emotional) pain. Oh, well; she's now 14. When can I no longer blame baby fat?...is 14 years too long?...just asking. Have a good evening...It's 10 pm in WI.

It's 11 pm where I am. I just finished a workout and burned 320 calories! Woohoo! But... I ate 3 pieces of bread tonight (soup and one and a half sandwiches)... so only managed to bring things down to maintain... I'm disappointed in myself because I ate so well at lunch, tuna salad (tuna, light mayo, relish), and celery but managed to screw it up with too many carbs again.... ahhh I should have stuck to just one piece of bread folded in two.

At least my body feels great after that workout. I'm off to shower and bed and will try again tomorrow.

Hi all,
I'd like to join too if that's alright. I've been kind of stuck around the same 148 for a while and would really like to get to 140 (and then lower). I've tried eating more protein which helped me shed a few extra pounds and then it slowed again, tried eating a little more which actually helped a little too but I always seem to lose a pound or two and then get stuck a couple weeks or so. I'm trying to be more consistent with my eating so hopefully coming here will help me be more accountable. I crept back up a couple pounds after week trip for Thanksgiving visiting friends and tailgating.

I use protein powder and really like it. I was having trouble keeping my protein up and was feeling like all I could ever eat was chicken or cottage cheese so it helped me keep it higher. I put a little in my coffee (mine's chocolate) or after a hard workout I make a shake with chocolate soy milk, half a frozen banana, a tbsp of low fat peanut butter, and ice. Yum!

I was also hoping to lose a good amount of weight by early summer. I'm supposed to be getting married a year from June, and I know that it can be harder than I think to lose weight, and I'm not happy with how I am now. I just need motivation. I know what to do, but its really hard finding the time. I'm a full time college student and have a part time job as well, and between homework and working, it seems so hard to find time to go over to the campus gym and workout. I think my smartest move was signing up for a class next semester called walking for fitness. Basically, we meet twice a week to power walk for about an hour. I'm hoping it can help motivate me to find more time to exercise outside of class. I know the Holiday's are coming up, and I just need some support. All of my friends are thin, and none of them worried about losing weight, and they're all sweet "you're beautiful how you are" and junk. I'm 170 lbs. Its just too much. I'm not happy, I stress, I don't sleep well. I'm just looking for support. For someone doing the same thing I am, and with the same general goals. I'm glad I found this site. I joined it a while ago, but forgot about it for sometime. When I found it again, I thought maybe I could use it to benefit me.

Thanks you guys!

so i started a new exercise plan, i was all excited to post about it yesterday but for some reason i can't get on the forums with my home computer :eek: lame....

anyway, i started the self.com 'lose 8lbs in 30 days.' it's really cool; you can select whether you want to work out at home or in the gym, and it gives you a daily workout. yesterday was my first one, and it totally kicked my a$$. it was interval running on the treadmill, walk one minute, sprint the next minute, and you start at the fast past and low incline, and then gradually you increase the incline while decreasing your sprint speed. i was seriously holding on for dear life.. it was the best cardio workout i've gotten in a loooong time. i didn't realize that even though i've been working out, i haven't really pushed myself enough.

so that's gonna be my exercise plan, just do whatever the daily workout is until 12/24 (mini goal day!!!!!) and hopefully i'll be very happy with the results :D

@ samarie - congrats on your engagement!!!!

Angel: Welcome aboard! Congrats on your progress so far. Hopefully in June, I can record that many pounds gone as well.

A.vannice--I like how you have your mini goal listed. I should also set some mini goals down otherwise i'll fall into the "I'll make it up next week" mentality.

My mini-goal right now is to get into the 172's. I've been hovering at 173.something for a week now. Was at 173.0 this morning.

It goes up some days and down the next... I'm happy I've incorporated exercise though, my mood is great, and my sleep is better than before so I consider that an accomplishment too.

I've never dieted before; in fact, I was skinny in high school but gained in university. So I'm not 100% sure I'm doing things correctly. I think I screw up my food still but I'm learning. I like to learn new recipes.

Because I haven't been seeing the 0.1 lbs loss per day, I am doubting if I can get to 22 lbs but I think it would be great if I could even take off something like 12-17 lbs or so.

The mini goals were something that i learned from other ppl in the forums. it's really helpful, too - instead of having a long time frame and a big number to lose, you can focus on your little goals. right now, i'm barely thinking about all the weight - i'm completely focused on 160!

i just want to throw this out there. i wasn't seeing results for MONTHS (worst thing ever when you're watching everything that you eat), and i had to reconsider my activity level. i had my daily caloric needs calculated to someone who was "slightly active." i thought that fit me, however, i have an office job, and when i get home on my feet for a few hours plus whatever exercise i do. i was eating 1700-1900cals/day, and working out 2-3x/week, and i was not losing anything.
then i started eating at my daily caloric needs for a sedantary activity level - 1200-1300cals/day. it know it seems like nothing; trust me, i used to think that girls that ate that little had problems, but a female can safely eat 1200, no less though. i eat 4-5 times a day and i'm never hungry because i make sure my nutrition is balanced.

anyway, i just wanted to throw that out there if anyone feels like they're stuck, maybe that will help :D

oh and it's the FRIDAY.. yay! 1st weigh-in in two days!! gotta make it count!:p

I was really hoping to work my way down to the lower amounts as I lost. Right now I seem to hit 1800 pretty consistently (sometimes higher :o) (I'm actually aiming for 1600 but as I said I'm having some trouble adjusting)(assuming my metabolism burns 2000 on it's own). Anyways I think I was able to create only a 250 deficit on my own with dieting so in about 50 days I lost 3.5 lbs but... that's a long time and I haven't seen any difference since then.

I think I might be stuck, but for now I'm trying to adjust one variable at a time. Right now it's making sure I get the protein to 30% on my nutritional pie (on top of keep trying with lowering the calories). I'll do this for another 2 weeks and see what happens.

It's also not the best time for me to be weighing myself as it's that time of the month. I'll do an official weigh-in on Monday to keep me motivated over the weekend like someone had suggested.

I don't know, I just really don't want to go down to 1300-1200 right away. I was reallyl enthusiastic and I did that in October when I started, but it was too much of an adjustment. I'd really prefer to work my way down.

Anyways we'll see in two weeks what I should do next.

Friday nights are usually my challenge. Each Friday, we have "family movie night" and make pop corn. We usually pop the kernels with an air popper which could be healthy except that we usually then put butter on it.Believe me, I have an olive oil sprayer and sometimes I'm good and use that, but like Julia Childs believes, there's nothing better than butter. I've tried a lot of other things, but on popcorn, nothing beats butter (IMO). Usually we have treats on Friday nights as well..be it leftover Halloween candy or something I've baked. Anyway, this week I ate a healthy dinner right before and stayed away from my usual culprits. I made a virgin pina colada using fresh pineapple and canned coconut cream as our treat. I think that was better than eating our usual treats without feeling "deprived". I'm hoping to have a decent weight on Monday's weigh-in.

Right now I am still eating lots of fruits and veggies. I start my days with 1/2 banana, 1/2 grape fruit and organic yogurt. Midmorning I usually will have a glass I chocolate milk. Lunch 1/2 an egg sandwich--(without the mayo) or a salad. I'm mostly vegetarian by and large but the other day I went looking for something with a large, lean protein count. I ended up with a small can of sardines. It also has high iron. I think it was psychological who know maybe biological because I was on my heavy day (Aunt Flo came to visit). Sometimes I think our bodies knows what we need because even though I only eat meat once or twice a year, last week, it was like a pregnancy craving for something like sadines--go figure.

Last week, when I was having my "chocolate" cravings--which usually hit around that time of the month, I made myself a glass of chocolate milk made with skim. That has actually helped me. I even have a six-pack of herseys that have been in our cabinet for a couple of months but I haven't touched them.

Over the last week, I've kept my caloric intake around the 1200. I think the next couple of weeks with the holidays will be challenging but I am really hoping to stay diciplined. This time I am bound and determined to succeed and have started off with the most commitment at least, that's how it feels right now.

Last year I turned 40 and even though I came in to the age with a really great attitude, not bummed at all. It turned out to be a tough one health wise. In Feb, I was diagnosed with a tiny pituitary tumor and had to begin some meds to shrink that. (Which is going well, btw.) I also had a couple of contact dermititis cases (bad-reaction to poison ivy) in the spring and a bad ankle sprain in the summer. You know sometimes it feels like it's all happening at once and you just have to laugh. Still, I think I'm actually looking forward to the new year because last one wasn't quite a jolly.

Maybe that's why I feel I have more determination to get myself in shape. I'm glad we have so many who are joining to support each other. I know I will have some setbacks during this journey but I'm hoping to get to my target weight, because as I said to my husband, "40 is too young to feel old."

Good luck everyone. Looking forward to hearing from you all.

You sound like you have things under control.

If you don't mind, I think it would help me if you could share a typical meal plan or direct me to a website with recipes for meals in the 300-500 calorie range.

Right now I don't have a food scale so I do a lot of estimating using cups and tbsp as measurements. I'm thinking that I understand the theory behind weightloss but that I'm not putting it all into practice very well - including being inaccurate with my food log. Does anyone else use a food scale to do all their entires?

I think I'm the type of person who would rather eat more (1600-1500) and also workout more. I'm going to aim for a 500-700 deficit everyday if I can, but that will mean working out everyday, but I think I can do it.

My weigh in is tomorrow morning. I'm not all that excited because I think I could have done better this week, ha!

OK, weighing-in this rather dark morning at 171.2 lbs.:)

Kind of surprised as I had cheated on Friday night and somewhat cheated on Saturday (ate a bad meal...but didn't eat as much later). Although, kind of not surprised either as I was pretty sick Saturday night (hence didn't feel like eating much) and Sunday (ate soup and bread). Didn't exercise on Friday, Saturday or Sunday the way I wanted to (because I felt sick) so I'm excited to get some done tonight after work.

Overall, despite these set-backs, I'm happy to see the scale going in the direction that I want it to.

I cancelled a course I was going to take from January-April at night. I'm going back to full-time studies in the summer anyway. I'm thinking, without needing to worry about course-work, I can put more of an effort into workouts that otherwise I might have chosen to neglect. Get as much done while I can! And then when summer rolls around, keep working at it, but with less workouts, so at a slower pace.

Hi Mischakitty,

I began a new thread for our Monday weigh-in.

I have a food scale but I don't use it. When I used to eat meat and used to work full time, I would take one day a month and cook food in large portions then freeze it into smaller portions. This would last me about a month. When I would come home from work, busy, hungry, tired and with only 40 minutes before we had to run out the door for some kids extra-curricular activities, it was too tempting to "pick something up"-usuall high calorie, low nutrition. I would by large (3 lbs) packs of lean ground beef, break it up into 3rds. 2/3, I would brown with garlic, onions, seasonings let cool, wrap with freezer paper. I would use this for burritos or spaghetti. Another 3rd, burger patties or meatballs to use with several recipes. I would buy pork and boil it for use with BBQ pork sandwiches, some just leave whole for chops. Skinless chicken breasts I would boil and shred some( tostadas, salads), make soup with other and sautee some with onion, garlic and seasonings(again for burritos, tacos). I make my beans like this, (large portions and freeze) and then begin with week by making brown rice. I found that if I had the food there, I could pull out what I needed in the morning as long as I had the "main" dish, it was easier to throw a side together. Since it was already in smaller portions, it helped us not over eat. I also liked that since I was already dirtying the pots fors cooking, instead of dirtying it for one meal, I was at least getting a few weeks out of it.

I fell out of this when we became vegetarians because most of this was based on pre-cooking the meat portion. I still start off the week by making a large pot of beans, and brown rice that we can use through-out the week.

I need to find better vegetarian recipes that I can cook ahead that aren't laden with pasta and cheese...