Need a buddy for weight loss

[Salsa Dancer]

Rather than re-posting, I thought I'd point to the thread...."Help! What diet really works?" I've been posting about some stuff that I've observed (successes) with friends and family who have stuck with WW over the years. The only time I haven't seen it "work" is when people don't see the changes as lifelong and instead think that they are going to go on a short-term "diet" and then go "off the diet" when they get near their goal weight. I realized that I have to re-learn to eat, re-learn to prefer fruits and vegetables to junk, to indulge in some junk in moderation and even low amounts during the time that my main focus is to lose weight. I honestly eat chocolate every day but only an ounce or two and I make a point of really savoring it. I've gotten myself to love darker and darker chocolate such as the Lindt...I keep upping the percentage until now I like the one that is over 80% chocolate. I wouldn't have liked that a year ago, but now I love it and the other stuff tastes too sweet.

 

I've seen people do "low carb" meaning that they almost eliminated the grain group for periods of time. I've also seen those same people just stare at another person's plate that contained pasta or bread and obsess about bread when they finally did have some. I've seen them regain the weight in a few short weeks after going "off" the diet plan. It reminds me of our family when we gave up TV many years back....we got rid of it for a while, altogether. Although we found more time to do constructive things and thought it was good in many ways, we also found that when we were around a tv, we obsessed. Its just a natural way to respond when you deprive yourself of any one thing and don't stay balanced and self-disciplined, I think. Sorry to anyone who is into low-carb, because I might come off as opinionated on this topic. This is simply what I've observed over many years. I do believe that we are a society that eats WAY too much in that particular food group while really being slackers when it comes to fruit, veggie, and lean meats as part of our diets. I know that is true for me. I love cereal, bread, donuts, cookies, cakes, pasta, rice, chips, french fries--carbs are my favorite food group and it shows on my behind! I do believe that, generally, we should revamp our behaviors and be more sensible and cut back on carbs unless we plan on participating in triathalons. I don't work out or work that hard, per se, and have eaten far too many carbs for being more of a couch potato than a muscle-builder. My point is balance.

 

I am really desiring to participate in the holiday eating this year, in moderation, compensating before and after the meals, not pigging out in marathon-style, and actually NOT packing on 10 extra pounds from Thanksgiving to Christmas? Can this be done? I think it can. We'll see.

[Mommy4lyfe]

Hello Everyone and Welcome Tam

 

I am back from vacation and it was nice. I see some people lost weight, some stayed the same and some did not log their weight for last Monday. Congratulation to all who lost weight and to those that did not gain.:D

 

Here is my progress.

Date Weight Change Change From Start 07/14/08 167 lbs -1.4 lbs -11 lbs 07/07/08 168.4 lbs -4.6 lbs -9.6 lbs 06/30/08 173 lbs 1 lbs -5 lbs 06/23/08 172 lbs -1 lbs -6 lbs 06/16/08 173 lbs -1 lbs -5 lbs 06/09/08 174 lbs -4 lbs -4 lbs 06/07/08 178 lbs -- 0 lbs

As for the 14th weight, that was actually on 7/11. I weighed myself before I left for vacation. I got on the scale yesterday, end of my vacation and to my surprise my weight was 166.8, which indicate that I lost 0.04 lbs on vacation.:confused: So I get on the scale this morning and the scale is 167.6:eek:. Impossible, I gained 0.80 lbs. :eek::eek: overnight.

 

Any way and any how, I think I did well on the vacation. My goal was to not gain any weight on vacation and I did accomplish that goal.:)

 

Here is something I learned on vacation that I think will help all of us. I saw a lot of women from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. I would say that 70% of the women were over weight and out of the 70%, 50% were over obese. The majority of them had on 2 piece swimsuits. However they all seem to be comfortable with their weight and the way the looked. They walked and strutted with their heads held high and with no shame or embarrassment. In all honesty it was the way they carried themselves that was truly noticed, not the weight. I took a second and third look at myself and I "girl you look good in your swimsuit", I wore a one piece suit. Also I notice that I turned a lot of head from young and old in my street clothes and swim suit. My DD mentioned how the men flirted with me. What I learned was we as women are very hard on ourselves and don't see the beauty in us when we gain weight. We look at ourselves in some distorted mirror thru distorted eyes. The way we feel is the way we carry ourself and the way we carry ourself is the way we look. The image we have of ourself is the image we project to others. I think we should be content in the state we are in while we are making changes. If we do this we will be content in every stage of our weight loss program.

 

 

[kanitster]

My first weekend has been handled very well. I made the WW 0 point veggie soup and plain popcorn for the tough moments throughout the weekend. We even went to the drive-in last night to see Mamma Mia and even with eyeing the people on both sides of us just munching away on goodies I had my popcorn so was fine. I am looking forward to the gym tomorrow...

BTW...I started at 260. Down 5lbs so far and just looking ahead...to a healthier me!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

So what are we doing here...a weigh-in on Mondays? I am really looking forward to having some friends to lean on when things get tough and hopefully being able to support some that are in the same boat.

tty'sl

~Tam

[Growler]

OK, the wieght reduction has slowed right down these last ten days or so, but then again I haven't exactly been 'saintly' with the diet either!:o

SW 284

LW 269

CW 267

GW 238

On the plus side, our village get together on Friday evening was preceded by a six mile cycle ride, so for the first time in around six years I climbed aboard my bike and tried to keep up with the kids! Saturday I felt a little stiff, but made up for it yesterday by cycling three miles to play in a village cricket match (I hadn't played cricket for over thirty years), and cycling home again afterwards. Needless to say I'm suffering this morning, but feeling extremely virtuous!

Feeling pretty good about the weight reduction graph again now (the last four weeks have been really tough), but I've definitely got the daily regime sorted, I just have to be a little more fastidious about the portion control I think. Nice chicken Ceasar salad last night, so more of that kind of thing will help! I'm planning to get 'ahead of the game' during this week, as it's our twenty third wedding anniversary on Saturday, and I'm intending to cook something really special for the family, so once again my weekend will conspire against me.

Good luck to everyone for the week ahead...

Tim

[Salsa Dancer]

The trail......

6/3 SW: 188

6/9 185

6/16 185

6/23 181

6/30 179.5

7/07 180

7/14 180

7/21 180

 

A couple of weeks ago, I told my husband that maybe it was just in my head that my weight "sticks" on a zero digit. Now I don't think so. I'm not imagining that I've been within a pound of 180 for a MONTH.

 

TAM: Yes, Monday is weigh-in day. We're here to cheer each other on, sympathize with a week like mine, etc. First week and you did great. Smart to do the soup and popcorn! Planning like that is what will get you through those first couple of rough weeks. You're going to love it when the cravings aren't so rough.

 

MOMMY: You also did great on a vacation. I imagine, like the rest of us, you've had those vacations where you gained plenty. I agree with what you said about feeling good about ourselves. I always work on that by doing my hair, my nails, wearing the cutest (most flattering) clothes that I can find, etc., and I love to wear sparkly jewelry. I jokingly call it "camo dressing". But that inward acceptance is rough. I don't want to accept myself TOO much or I fear I will stay as I am, but I know what you mean about accepting ourselves for who we really are, weight gain or not. Thanks for the upbeat post because I really needed it this morning.

 

TIM: Another 2 lbs. I'd be dancing a jig if I took off 2 lbs. this past week! Right now, I'm going to have to live vicariously through some of

my fellow "losers'" victories.:o Do you realize how close you are to a 20 lb. total loss? I am guessing that the loss is boosting your confidence and that is encouraging you to get out and do things that you haven't done in years. Am I right? That is going to be a win/win with the extra calorie burn. I wanted to ask you....What did that chef do to fish & chips that no one else has done before? And 2nd, with your cooking skills, (I can tell by your posts), could you do some healthy stuff that is equally delicious, then squeeze in a splurge on some parts of the meal that can't be altered? For me, I'll sub out ingredients but won't sacrifice taste in doing so. I'd rather eat less and have the food taste good. For example: turkey bacon.:confused: I'm sorry but "turkey" and "bacon" do not belong in the same sentence. I ate some and did not die but it was a poor substitute...at least the brand that I tried.

 

 

This Week's Post:

SW: 188

LW: 180

CW: 180

GW: 135

 

My Week: The good, the bad, and the ugly. I was so excited on Friday because I finally broke out of this plateau and weighed in at 179. We went to a BBQ (extra salt) with friends that night so on Saturday morning I weighed 180 again. Sunday morning I was back down to 179 and thought, "YEAH. I get to post a drop." As timing would have it, I started my "P" on Sunday night, knowing that I'd have a water weight gain and sure enough, hopped on the scale and saw my old "friend" Mr. 180 Pounds just staring right up at me this morning. This week, I think he was sneering. ;) Sorry to any male posters but maybe my post will help you to sympathize with your wives???? I never had big issues with moodiness with my periods, from age 12 until now. But Saturday was the worst I have ever experienced. I didn't even like me. If it weren't for this forum and having a place to be accountable, I would have given up by now. This is currently a test of my endurance.

 

On the up side, I fit into a cute black skirt for church, then a cute top and black sandals and took off. At church, a friend scanned me up and down and said, "YOU"VE LOST WEIGHT!" Then after church, another acquaintance who lost a LOT of weight herself, came up to me and looked me over and said, "You're lookin' good, girl." and she said, "I'm proud of you!" This is weird because in all of my yo-yo dieting over the years, people don't ever notice me losing weight until I have 15-17 pounds off--it's always been that way. I only have 8 off right now and am getting comments. What gives with that?

 

I also grabbed a girl's attention because I hadn't seen or noticed her in a year and truly didn't recognize the girl at first. She had a baby, lost 50 lbs. in a year, and colored her hair blonder. She looked fantastic and very happy. She said it was a slow loss of one pound a week, on WW. I used to think 1 year was horribly long but now I see how fast it flies by. I used to start a "diet" and want all of the weight off "yesterday" and now I am taking it day by day. The scale is not my friend anymore. I'm mad at it. :mad: It lies to me. It mocks me. ;) I'm now in love with my tape measure.:p

[Salsa Dancer]

I've been google-searching some things this morning and found a site called "how stuff works"....there was a BMI calculation that is pretty easy to use; so I thought I'd post the formula.

 

BMI

Weight (in lbs.) divided by your height (in inches) x your height (in inches), then multiply that number by 703.

 

For me, at 5'2", I am 62 inches tall.

62 x 62= 3844

188 lbs. divided by 3844 = some long number x 703 = 32.91 (my BMI)

 

BMI ranges: over 25 is overweight

over 30 is obese

 

I started out at 34.3.

Based on the BMI calculator, my goal weight is right....135 lbs. puts me at a BMI of 24.68...not overweight anymore!

 

My first "mini-goal" is to weigh 162, which takes me out of the obese range and puts me at 29.62 on the BMI scale.

 

WATER LOSS

Mommy mentioned something about that overnight weight fluctuation and that made me want to learn more about water loss/retention/volume, etc. On that site that I mentioned, I read that the average person eliminates 1.2 L of water in urine each day plus 1 L. of water through perspiration and respiration = 2.2 K/5 lbs. of water weight fluctuation per day. That's a lot of fluctuation. Every breath you take, releases moisture into the air; so all day and all night this takes place. During the night, we don't drink extra water, so this explains to me why I can weigh sometimes as much as 4 lbs. more at night and be back down by the morning. Hmmmm.

[Salsa Dancer]

One minor mistake...I meant to type my current weight into that formula bu typed 188 instead. No editing allowed after 20 mins. My percentage is still the same at 32.91.

[Growler]

Hey - If I knew what Gary Rhodes did to the fish and chips it'd be ME running the restaurant! Seriously though, the fish must have been incredibly fresh, the batter was light but crunchy (not soggy), the potatoes were golden and crisp on the outside, fluffy in the centre, and the mixed peas/baby broad beans were 'garden fresh' and perfectly cooked. I honestly don't know how he gets ingredients that fresh in the middle of London - I have problems getting the stuff from my garden into the kitchen and keeping it so tasty :p

 

I used your BMI calculator, and there's no way I'm going to punish myself that much this year (to get to a BMI of 24.9), so I'm going to settle for 30 right now (which is what your calculation would give if I was the same weight I was when I was a super-fit 21 year old)

 

Anyway - enough of that - another milestone achieved - the exercise bike has been retrieved from the dim recesses of the storage shed, so I can now pedal my heart out while watching tv!

 

Tonight's dinner......lightly poached butterflied king prawns (poached in my own homemade shellfish stock), tossed into a simple pasta arrabiata.

[kanitster]

Hi Everyone,

As of today its 7lbs down...ya gotta love that first week!!

Went to the gym today and just used the treadmill. I managed to do a mile on it which might sound like nothing but for me its pretty good. Plus it was sooo hot in there!! My clothes were totally soaked by the time I left. Tomorrow I made an appointment for an orientation so I know what all the machinery does and there purpose.

~Tam

[kanitster]

Oh ya...BMI just below 47...EEEEKK!!

~Tam

[Mommy4lyfe]

Growler - Yeah!!!! Congratulations You are doing so great. Keep up the good work.:)

 

Salsa - You broke the 1801bs mark. I believe you are under 180 lbs. Your P and the salt is causing the additional lbs; therefore I am saying Yeah to your weight loss. :D:D

 

As for my weight loss, no change from Sunday

 

SW: 178

LW: 167

CW: 166.8

 

Wow!!! 0.02 lbs Now I know I can vacation without weight gain. Now can I do it while I cruise. Nah!! Cruises have all you can eat , which is a very big hindrance.

[Mommy4lyfe]

Hi Everyone,

As of today its 7lbs down...ya gotta love that first week!!

Went to the gym today and just used the treadmill. I managed to do a mile on it which might sound like nothing but for me its pretty good. Plus it was sooo hot in there!! My clothes were totally soaked by the time I left. Tomorrow I made an appointment for an orientation so I know what all the machinery does and there purpose.

~Tam

 

:D:D:D 7lbs, that is so impressive. My first week I think I lost 4lbs. I have 22 lbs to loose and I wish I could go to a gym to work out because I believe the gym will help you loose weight faster and tone your body. I admire you for going to the gym, I just don't have it in me. Congratulations,keep up the good work and stay geared up.

[Salsa Dancer]

:D:D:D 7lbs, that is so impressive. My first week I think I lost 4lbs. I have 22 lbs to loose and I wish I could go to a gym to work out because I believe the gym will help you loose weight faster and tone your body. I admire you for going to the gym, I just don't have it in me. Congratulations,keep up the good work and stay geared up.

 

I'm the same way....no exercise for now, but I wanted to tell you that several years ago...maybe '97 or '96? I made a bet with my sister and it was a big one...we both wanted to get in shape and lose weight so we made a hefty bet...large enough so neither of us could afford to break our end of the deal....we agreed to exercise every day for 10 weeks, without missing one day and if we didn't, we had to pay the other one $500. It worked. I exercised for 70+ days straight. Just treadmilling at least 2 miles per day. I also dropped weight more steadily than ever, although there were plateaus then too, but I averaged 2 lbs. a week and had 20 lbs. off by the time I stopped walking. I still remember a couple of times when I was on my treadmill crying and sweating away because of plateau discouragement. I was having a problem seeing the big picture. I stopped because I got this bright idea to use my husband's home gym, did an exercise wrong and hurt my back to the extreme. I could do almost nothing for that whole summer; so from June until the end of August I got no exercise and was in so much pain that it hurt to sit, lay down, stand, etc. That was the time that I experienced a 12 week plateau. I was eating right every day and I didn't break out of the plateau until a weekend in September---actually on a weekend vacation that involved a lot of walking, 2 meals a day (big buffet for breakfast or lunch) and a decent dinner.

 

It's making me want to get on the treadmill as soon as I feel my knee can handle it. I want to feel like I'm guaranteed to reach my goal by my cruise date in March--maybe even early???

[moonpie906]

Sorry I am late in posting my stats. Was busy yesterday picking up things for the cruises and last night we had some terrible storms..

 

SW: 162

LW: 150

CW: 148

GW: 145

 

 

I am almost there!... These last pounds will be the hardest, but I will make it...

 

I am working on getting toned up as well. The abs are looking better, now if I can get the upper arms to do the same.... I have been doing some light weights and that seems to help some.

 

Talk to you all soon

 

 

Pam

[julieanne]

Have you ladies and gentlemen seen this website? www.hungry-girl.com. I have noticed that a lot are on weight watchers and she gives points for every recipe plus tells you how to slim down your favorite fast food and snacks. I was a bad snacker. While I have no goal weight (I gave up on that) in mind, it was very important to firm up what I had. Just recently I noticed I have gone down a size from 10 to 8 (I know, but I am short! 4'10") but the scale hasn't changed as I do both aerobics (low impact, I have a double fusion in my spine) and resistance/weight training. I changed my diet about 3 months ago to only whole foods, nothing processed (no oreos! Ok, maybe once in a while) and I have noticed that I can eat, not only more, but I do not have to count calories or points and it seems that my body uses the food for fuel more efficiently. I know that everybody is different, but it's always worth it to try it. What's the worst that could happen? I think it is great that you're all supportive! Where I live now, oh goodness, chili con queso, chips, cakes! Nobody watches what they eat! LOL

[Salsa Dancer]

[quote name=Growler;15496929

I used your BMI calculator' date=' and there's no way I'm going to punish myself that much this year (to get to a BMI of 24.9), so I'm going to settle for 30 right now (which is what your calculation would give if I was the same weight I was when I was a super-fit 21 year old)

 

The BMI thing....I've never used that sort of thing before but thought it was interesting to see where I am and later, where I would be. Sometimes those formulas are SO off because they don't take into consideration individual body composition. I have a sister who is by far much more muscular, by nature, than I am. I have grandchildren and I can see that one of the three is also solid muscle (a 7 year old girl who incidentally consumes almost all carbs--she doesnt' care much for meat or fruit or veggies) and our grandson (6) and other granddaughter (11) are more average. Then you think of bone structure and that affects weight, too. I don't think any formula is something to get too affected by. You could weigh more than a formula says that you should weigh and be perfectly proportioned. According to those medical/insurance charts, I should weight 110 lbs. (no way).

 

Normally, I would set my goal weight at a MUCH lower weight. I decided not to torture myself with that type of thinking. I weighed 108 at one time (age 16) and felt like I was at the perfect weight. Then 116 (not too bad), then 126 when I got married (mmmm....I could live with that); but I truly thought that anyone 5'2" and over 130 pounds was HUGE. My perspective has certainly changed. When I get to my 135 goal, I want my husband, my daughter, my friends and even my tell-it-like-it-is granddaughter to check me out and tell me if I need to lose any more to look fit. I won't need a calculator to do that. ;)

 

The other thing to consider....I stay away from anything that discourages me, makes me feel less than accomplished, etc. If a BMI formula makes me feel good about an accomplishment, then I might use it for a boost. But if it makes me feel like crud or like my goal to good health is all that much "out-of-reach" then I am going to scrap the formula. So much of what we're all doing here is first battled in our brains, then translates to our actions and our end results, I think. It's good to be aware of what shoots us down or what builds us up.

 

I just watched a show this morning (about some people who accomplished large weight loss goals) and what was said is that people who are trying to lose weight need 2 things: motivation & support. I thought, "Hmmmm. That's exactly what we have going on this forum. A cruise date for motivation, and each other to support us when we're losing our grip." Maybe WE'LL all end up on a talk show someday.:D And maybe the the talk show would pay for us all to go on a cruise.:D :eek: :D Can anybody say "Amen" to that one?????

[Salsa Dancer]

Sorry I am late in posting my stats. Was busy yesterday picking up things for the cruises and last night we had some terrible storms..

 

SW: 162

LW: 150

CW: 148

GW: 145

 

 

I am almost there!... These last pounds will be the hardest, but I will make it...

 

I am working on getting toned up as well. The abs are looking better, now if I can get the upper arms to do the same.... I have been doing some light weights and that seems to help some.

 

Talk to you all soon

 

 

Pam

 

 

Pam!!! A big "Whoop-Whoop" for you.:D I see that you have a whole 47 days left and you only have 3 pounds to go to your goal. YAY! I think that will make you the first of our group to reach GOAL.

 

This is what I was wondering....I believe you can get there with time to spare...will you keep going past your goal to try to lose more? I wondered that because with the upcoming cruise....well, I mean to say that if I were in your shoes....I think I'd try to lose a couple more to get under my goal, then if I gained a "little" on the cruise, I'd still feel good about myself. Is that anything you've thought about? Or maybe you will be happy to hold the goal and try to hold it through the cruise? Just curious.

[kanitster]

Congrats Pam on your wonderful success. Stories like yours give hope to us all. Made it again to the gym today. My co-worker tells me I seem to have a little bounce to my walk now...lol. I am feeling better with each passing day. I've started taking Chantix to stop smoking too. Started it this past monday. My quit day is next monday. I know I can do it. I've already cut down a lot. Mainly just picking one up out of habit and not craving for them like before. People say I'm crazy to attempt dieting and quiting smoking at the same time. I say...its the right time. I've tried many times to quit on my own only to gain lots of weight ...then go back to it. This way I can quit and won't gain because of the diet...lol. Hell, its worth a try. I've been a smoker since I was 9. Discusting habit that needs to go away...(along with 140lbs...lol)

Have a great evening all

~Tam

[moonpie906]

Thanks all for your support. I will more probably try to go past goal. I feel so much better and have so much more energy than I use to.

 

I can't believe my RCI cruise is only 46 days away!!! I get more excited each day.

 

It just feels like a giant burden has been lifted from my shoulders ( and other places too) (sorry couldn't resist).

 

I say "Amen" to the talk show!! Who knows we may be famous someday!:D

[Kudos2Fly]

Hi everyone I'm about 128.2 from lasted week so no change in weight. But I'm not really pushing my self right now. I'm still working on portion control as well as exercising more.

 

As far as carbs are concerned. My husband and I have the view point that carbs are not good for you in general. At least major process carbs. But we still have some, but we do try to limit our selves to them (carbs). We just believe they are not healthy to have. We try to have meat, vegeies & fruits. They carbs we do have around are very gainy and organic. So I think that helps. But we are not nuts about it, we do have french fries and desserts from time to time.

 

From what the BMI says for me. I can weight between 103-134. Thats a big range.. But my best weight for me is probably 115-120. Right now my goal weight is 120.. So I think you have to go with what makes you feel good.. There is no way my husband would want me down to 103. He says I look good at 120 and no lower. So asking people how do you look at a current weight is a good ideal.. But pick someone that really knows you and not someone that wants to hear or "what" they want or what you want to hear.. If that makes any since..

[Mommy4lyfe]

Sorry I am late in posting my stats. Was busy yesterday picking up things for the cruises and last night we had some terrible storms..

 

SW: 162

LW: 150

CW: 148

GW: 145

 

 

I am almost there!... These last pounds will be the hardest, but I will make it...

 

I am working on getting toned up as well. The abs are looking better, now if I can get the upper arms to do the same.... I have been doing some light weights and that seems to help some.

 

Talk to you all soon

 

 

Pam

 

:D:D The last 3 lbs will be a snap. Great Job

 

Have you ladies and gentlemen seen this website? www.hungry-girl.com. I have noticed that a lot are on weight watchers and she gives points for every recipe plus tells you how to slim down your favorite fast food and snacks. I was a bad snacker. While I have no goal weight (I gave up on that) in mind, it was very important to firm up what I had. Just recently I noticed I have gone down a size from 10 to 8 (I know, but I am short! 4'10") but the scale hasn't changed as I do both aerobics (low impact, I have a double fusion in my spine) and resistance/weight training. I changed my diet about 3 months ago to only whole foods, nothing processed (no oreos! Ok, maybe once in a while) and I have noticed that I can eat, not only more, but I do not have to count calories or points and it seems that my body uses the food for fuel more efficiently. I know that everybody is different, but it's always worth it to try it. What's the worst that could happen? I think it is great that you're all supportive! Where I live now, oh goodness, chili con queso, chips, cakes! Nobody watches what they eat! LOL

 

Very impressive. That is wonderful the way you lost inches. I don't think I can permanently change my eating habits to whole food. I am sure if there is a diet out there that calls for eating whole foods only, I mostly have tried it. I have tried every diet out there. I also tried the sugar busters way of eating. It never last. I need to enjoy some junk food or I will feel deprived. Are there any whole food snacks other than fruit? Maybe I can add more whole foods to my current weight loss plan. However I am slowly but surely changing my eating habits to healthy choices and I believe these are permanent changes.

 

Salsa - Amen, Amen, Amen. For a free cruise I would even where a two piece swim suit on the tv show, like Kristy Alley did on Oprah.

 

Kudos2Fly - Portion control and exercise is the way to go. With that on your side you can not go wrong. Are you doing any weight training? Remember muscle weighs more than fat and that can be the reason for you stand still, you are loosing fat and building muscles. Congratulations on not gaining.:)

[Salsa Dancer]

Salsa - Amen, Amen, Amen. For a free cruise I would even where a two piece swim suit on the tv show, like Kristy Alley did on Oprah.

 

Hey, Mommy....Did you ever see that episode of Oprah? That was one that I REALLY was curious about and wondered how Kirsty looked in a bikini, but never did see it. (Maybe I can google a picture?) I was curious because I knew how she looked when she started and wondered how her skin bounced back after losing that much weight.

 

I'm like you....food is such a social thing and I don't want to feel like I "can't" have certain foods. I've known people, who were into health food only (soy milk, etc.) and they carried it into all social events for a while, but it left them very isolated. They turned away from many delicious dishes prepared by others but I could tell that they still were drooling, sometimes. ;) I've talked to friends about this topic, and about how dietary "laws" actually divide people because when you sit down and share a meal, there is this sense of "community" that is a result of that event. It runs deeper than just the meal. So when various friends would try to join in, but wouldn't touch this or that, sometimes it felt weird--especially when I cook because I'm a dang good cook, in my humble opinion;) . I still respect the individual choice of people to eat what they want, even saying that. It's just something that I've seen with various family members and friends over the years. I'd say, without exception, all of them (from the 70's era on), ended up setting aside their decisions to avoid sugar, bread, pasta, various meats, dairy, etc. Many of us had/have gardens, canned our own foods, picked our own fruits, baked our own breads, etc. We lived in the grow-your-own era and still carry on some of those cooking pleasures, but I don't know one that was able or willing to give up sugar for life, even though that was their original intention...or dairy....or (insert food of choice). Sugar just plain tastes good....:D...so I hope to learn to eat it in the right proportions.

[julieanne]

No, no! Not health food! Just good foods! I do not buy any packaged health foods either! I bake my own bread (bread machine) and I use good stuff like pure fruit spreads, natural peanut butter (I LOVE peanut butter & jelly, I eat it everyday!). I have a rule of thumb, if it is home made, I will eat it! That is why hungry-girl = great! Lots of great treats and snacks. I am also a social eater, so if I cheat, I do so at parties. If you can diet, than I think you can change your style of eating for 6 days out of the week. Salsa, I would never insult my hosts by not eating, I am not like that! That would be my cheat day, I have one a week. I do like sugar, but it's amazing how little I crave it anymore. I also had a bad pepsi habit that I gave up cold turkey :D ! By the way, u can find the Kirstie bikini photo, she looked really good.

Nuts, dried fruits, popcorn, fruit smoothies etc are really good snacks!:)

[bobandkelly]

Since you are talking about diets and giving up things I want to ask if anyone's heard about food combining. A friend was talking about it and it was so wierd for me. You can only eat certain things with other certain things. Sorry I can't give better examples. I did google it and the more I read the more I thought I could never eat this way. They claim it is healthier because of how foods are digested. You would really have to change your way of eating to follow this and I don't know how you would ever eat out socially. We do alot of potluck type things and I just don't see that this would work. The main thing that she told me (because she knows I love putting melons in my lettuce salads) is that you are never supposed to eat melon of any kind with any other food. It is bad for digestion. I just ate a salad with watermelon and pineapple. I don't understand how eating foods that are healthy can become unhealthy if eaten together. I believe God created our bodies and I don't think He would have made eating, which we need, so complicated. And if he had I think he would have given us instruction in the bible.

Ok that was my soapbox moment for today!

I am with you all about not cutting out something, especially if it is something you like. For me if I say I am never going to eat cake then cake is the only thing I think about. What I do is only eat it if it is homemade and really yummy. No sense in wasting calories on a store cake that has probably been frozen and has no real flavor except sugar.

Kelly

[bratgrr1]

I just found this post about weight loss so I am late joining the game. I have lost about 45 pounds since October by portion control (logging ALL my food and getting tons of support from www.thedailyplate.com) and exercising. But I would love to join you as I still have about 30 pounds to go. I've been on a plateau for a few weeks now so I hope to bust through soon.

 

I too don't buy "diet" foods. I eat healthy and try to cook everything. I dont use salt unless I am baking. I drink at least 60 oz water a day. I made a lifestyle change, NOT went on a diet. Because I dont want to be "on a diet" forever, I just incorporated everything into my lifestyle. It's the only way to go.