[anemone1983]

I’ve been following this forum all spring/summer trying to psych myself up to start a weight loss program. Looks like a bit of the momentum has gone from the Wednesday Reports, I’m hoping to get it started again.

On Saturday, I signed up for WW on line program, but committed to myself that I won’t officially start until this coming Wednesday, 26Aug. I wanted to see my daily point allotment and how the program is different from the last time I joined, about seven years ago. I’ve been recording my food to get back in the habit, learn the tools, and see what I’m eating. It’s not pretty. To sign up, I needed my current weight and I’m at a new all-time high. Not a surprise considering how my clothes feel (I’m wearing the biggest ones I’ve got), how bad my knees ache (I have patellar tracking disorder and arthritis, weight makes both worse), and just how *big* I feel in general.

I have 120 lbs to lose. I hope I can do it – my track record isn’t so great – I’ve lost 30 lbs on each the following eating plans: WW, Atkins, the Cookie Diet, and the Every Other Day Diet. Too bad it’s the same 30 lbs and it all comes back with yet more. I guess right now, I’d be happy to lose the 30 and keep it off. At least then I wouldn’t be starting over, even worse off than before.

I have a recurring reminder in Outlook to start the WW Wednesday forum here on the MB. This week will be my first official weigh in on the program, I hope that anyone interested will join me each week.

[Vaughnde]

I'll be happy to join with you although I don't know if you are aware of it but there is a thread going on under the Get Healthy with Theresa. This is one Shari PV Mom started. Come join us there as well!

[princessrunningfingers]

Go girl!!! I am a lifetime member of WW, and believe that it is the best program around. I need to hop back on it for a few weeks, so I will join you starting Wednesday, and count everything I eat. I only need to lose about 10 pounds, but I need to catch it now before it gets to be more.

[anemone1983]

Thanks V and Joyce, I just visited that forum and it's a bit too intense for me right now. I'm going to struggle to exercise, I've never enjoyed it, never felt great before, during or after, doing it. For some strange reason, it makes me angry doing it. I'll just keep my aspirations close and watch from the sidelines.

[MargotW]

Michele - don't just watch from the sidelines. Join in with us even if you don't exercise. There is great motivation to stick to your plan. I'm not much for exercise either but my doctor keeps telling me "if you don't you will loose what strength you have"

I'm doing Leslie Sansones Walk the Mile (something like that) not intense but keeps you moving!

[Prahe]

Yeh Michele
I needed a bit of a push to get going again...so thanks.
My last few weeks I have been very unfocused on my weight as I deal with my thyroid problem...but I am on meds now so hopefully things should settle down in that department soon.
My target goal vs date (I was trying to lose a bit before I head to a conference on sept 15) now seem a bit out of reach but I will definately be going lighter than I would have been a few months ago....so yeah!
Swimming or just walking in the water is a geat low impact excercise if you have bad knees/joints. I am just sticking to walking...a stroll (doesn't have to be a power walk) in the fresh air is better than nothing...its about moving!
Good luck and chat to you next week.

[Kacie]

I just started WW this week with three of my good gal pals and had my first weigh-in yesterday. Not so happy with what the scale said, I have about 25-30 pounds to lose before I'll be at my goal. I would love to check in here on Wednesdays! Although it will be later because I don't weigh in until 6:30 ET Wednesday nights.

[Smiles]

anemone1983, on 26 August 2009 - 07:06 AM, said:

Thanks V and Joyce, I just visited that forum and it's a bit too intense for me right now. I'm going to struggle to exercise, I've never enjoyed it, never felt great before, during or after, doing it. For some strange reason, it makes me angry doing it. I'll just keep my aspirations close and watch from the sidelines.

Michele, I think I understand how you feel about exercise.
If someone else makes you do it, it can feel bad.
After 20 years of the Army telling me to work out a certain way, I swore I'd never do another push up in my life.
So now I garden - plenty of stretching and bending and lifting that bucket of weeds/deadheaded flowers.
It's not "exercise" - but I am moving.
I also love wandering through gardens. I have bad associations with "hiking," but I love chatting with friends and walking.
If you can find something you enjoy, it won't be exercise.
Good luck with it!

[Laurie in PA]

OK, I'll start this off this week.

I gained 1.4!!

And then I had to sit through a meeting hearing about the Lose for Good program.
Anyone else doing it? All I could think about was the 1# of food that could have been going to
some hungry child. Talk about a guilt trip. Our meeting has committed to losing 350 lbs by 10/17
and donating 1 lb or more of food for every lb we lose

[Prahe]

Thanks Laurie for getting the ball rolling this week...great idea of supporting a food donation...hope your group is successful.
Well I didn't weigh myself this week but I did buy a new pair of jeans in a smaller size (so that is as good as guide as any). I have been craving craving craving this week and have on occassion given in but today is a new day and I have only brought healthy things with me to work today.
Have a healthy day/week

[anemone1983]

Hi Laurie and Ruth, I didn't see much interest in the WW thread since many people are in the Get Fit With Theresa forum.

I stayed within my points this week, left all 35 weekly points on the table, and lost 3 lbs. It's a start! I've noticed my water consumption has dropped significantly over the last few years (!) so I need to step that up. Exercise will always be the bane of my existence. I did some Wii which got me off the couch, but you can't argue physics...a body at rest wants to stay at rest...too bad I can't stand the other part of that law (about bodies in motion) LOL.

Have a great week!

[princessrunningfingers]

I have to admit that I didn't lose one pound last week. I slipped several times and that was just enough to keep me from losing. I must commit to doing better this upcoming week. Writing everything down is a big must for me, and that is where I let myself down last week. I will write down everything that goes in my mouth this week.

[anemone1983]

I know what you mean, Joyce. I'm using the WW online tools. What I really miss about writing in a journal is I like to know what time I eat. Tracking my hunger is great, but if there's no time element, it has less statistical significance.

[Prahe]

Great job Michele...I think playing the wii is definately good for the soul if not the body (which I'm sure it is better than nothing). The kids and I have great fun which is makes me happy and therefore more positive in myself.
I agree Joyce that writting things down makes me accountable but I have to say I get really bored with it so haven't done it for a few weeks...maybe that will be my goal this week!
Have a good one

[anemone1983]

This week I'm down 5 lbs for a total of 8 - yay.

I got some startling and heart-breaking news yesterday and have been choking down food ever since. It would be very easy for me to skip meals, but I know that's the wrong thing to do, so I'm trying to eat all my points. Didn't make it yesterday, I'll try to do better today.

Still need to get motivated to move more, I'm very skilled at talking myself out of it even when I think "I should do some yoga on Wii Fit." Still working on the water and trying to get up and move during the day - I have a very sedentary job so it's easy to stay in one place for a long time.

[Laurie in PA]

I was down 1.4 this week - the 1.4 I gained last week so I broke even.
I have been doing a lot more exercising, but haven't been on program
enough with the eating.

[Prahe]

Hi girls
Michele I hear you about having a sedentary job...I sit behind a computer 8 hours a day...but I went for a walk at lunchtime today. I hope you're able to get passed your bad news. 5 lbs is fantastic though so well done.
Yeah Laurie..a loss is a loss even if it is a break even. I saw a program on tv about this group of sedentary and non exercising people participating in a study to see whether people could be trained/ conditioned to run a marathon (the Boston marathon). What I found amazing, apart from the fact that they all completed the marathon, is that the majority of them didn't lose weight despite the constant training. Only one of the women modified her diet ( she had to due to medical reasons) and she was the only one to lose weight. The rest continued to eat as per usual. It was suggested (and has been backed up with studies) that changing your diet to a healthy one is the number 1 way to lose weight and that exercise, while very important for overall health, immunity, weight maintenance and wellbeing, plays a small part in weight loss. An interesting thought when that walk seems like to much hard work...so grab a carrot and dream of marathons...appartently anyone can do it!
Have a great week

[SandiC.]

Well, I've certainly fallen off the wagon these last few weeks. And I'm not sure I'm going to climb right back on, because I've gotten into a pattern of dieting, off, dieting, off. that is detrimental. But, I haven't given up either. I am making little tiny lifestyle changes and then at some point I'll be ready to stick with it for more than a couple of weeks at a time. One thing I saw on a photography site was a story about a women who photographed what she ate for breakfast every single day. Gorgeous photos! Well, one of the steps to losing weight is to record everything you eat. That's boring, ho hum.... but......what if I took a photo of what I eat before i eat it. So today I did that. I didn't get breakfast cause I hadn't read that yet. At work I used my cell phone, then emailed the photos to myself. I just put them all in a single document. Just looking at them tonight, I can see that what I eat isn't too bad, its how much I eat. Since I'm so visual, I'm hoping that after collecting daily food pages for awhile, I'll be able to SEE where I can make the changes I need to make. And it did work to stop me eating a couple of snacks. LOL. I was not going to eat those chips if I had to photograph them. And, next week I'm changing where I work (same group, different hospital) and the new place serves much healthier food. Better choices everyday. I think I can do better there.

[Prahe]

Wow what a great idea Sandi (sounds like a great idea for a LO as well)... I hope it and the change of job environment works for you.

[anemone1983]

Prahe, on 09 September 2009 - 11:06 PM, said:

... I saw a program on tv about this group of sedentary and non exercising people participating in a study to see whether people could be trained/ conditioned to run a marathon (the Boston marathon). What I found amazing, apart from the fact that they all completed the marathon, is that the majority of them didn't lose weight despite the constant training. Only one of the women modified her diet ( she had to due to medical reasons) and she was the only one to lose weight. The rest continued to eat as per usual. It was suggested (and has been backed up with studies) that changing your diet to a healthy one is the number 1 way to lose weight and that exercise, while very important for overall health, immunity, weight maintenance and wellbeing, plays a small part in weight loss. An interesting thought when that walk seems like to much hard work...so grab a carrot and dream of marathons...appartently anyone can do it!
Have a great week

That's very interesting! Back a few years ago, I tried exercising at Curves for a 10-month stretch, so it got me moving, but I kept eating fairly normally. I lost a few inches (all total) but not really any weight, which was disappointing. However, I did take a vacation during that time where my friends were amazed at my stamina to climb extremely steep hills and keep going all day pretty actively. I've never got the diet and exercise coordinated to get the benefits of both. Life's a work in progress, and I'm no exception.

[anemone1983]

scrappin, on 09 September 2009 - 11:19 PM, said:

...what if I took a photo of what I eat before i eat it. So today I did that. I didn't get breakfast cause I hadn't read that yet. At work I used my cell phone, then emailed the photos to myself. I just put them all in a single document. Just looking at them tonight, I can see that what I eat isn't too bad, its how much I eat. Since I'm so visual, I'm hoping that after collecting daily food pages for awhile, I'll be able to SEE where I can make the changes I need to make. And it did work to stop me eating a couple of snacks. LOL. I was not going to eat those chips if I had to photograph them. And, next week I'm changing where I work (same group, different hospital) and the new place serves much healthier food. Better choices everyday. I think I can do better there.

Sandi, that is brilliant! It sounds like a great way to catalog and analyze what you eat and let you know where changes are needed. It's also helpful to have a friendlier food environment. Keep up with the photo diary and yes, what a cool idea for some LOs or an album!

[anemone1983]

2009-09-16 Check in...I lost 5.5 lbs last week. I'm still trying to eat all my points but not very successfully. It will catch up with me but I just can't at the moment. I'll continue doing what I can and keep trying to throw in high points foods/meals to use them. Still working on water and exercise. I did pick up Wii Active - I have yet to try it, but I already know I can't run - too high impact, would put me in surgery for my knees!

I hope everyone has had and will have a great week, whatever forum you post in or program you're following.

[SandiC.]

I had to leave super early for work this morning and didn't weigh, but I'll try to tomorrow. I've been sticking with the photographing what I eat and let me tell you, its put a brake on a lot of unnecessary eating. I have not snacked at all and that's a big bonus for me. I don't know if I've lost anything, but my habits are improving and that's the best diet in the world. I did find a weight loss buddy from work and we email each other a daily report and encouragement. We are both having up and down days, but generally we are both doing pretty well

Congrats on your great loss this week Michelle. I'm inspired!

[Laurie in PA]

I lost 1.6 this week which takes me to 11.4 total. I finally broke the 10 lb mark. I tend to
mess up when I get close to my next goal.

I have been very consistent with my exercising. I have a schedule & I really can't wait to mark another
day done. I've spent over 3 years telling myself I couldn't exercise because of my breathing & guess what??
I was sooo wrong! I can do a 30 minute low impact aerobic workout. Steps and hills are still a challenge,
but I am recovering faster than I used to.

[anemone1983]

Laurie, congrats on breaking the 10LB mark! WTG! Keep up with your exercise routine, someday I'll be doing one too

Sandi, keep up with the pictures - there's the start of a good LO or album in there Let us know how you do when you weigh or measure.

Have a great week!

[Laurie in PA]

Michele, have you ever heard of Sit and Be Fit? It's usually on PBS & most of the routine is done
sitting in a chair. It would be an easy way to get some weight training in

[anemone1983]

Laurie in PA, on 16 September 2009 - 04:39 PM, said:

Michele, have you ever heard of Sit and Be Fit? It's usually on PBS & most of the routine is done
sitting in a chair. It would be an easy way to get some weight training in

No I haven't, but I'm going to look it up. Thanks!

[SandiC.]

WTG Laurie! Its amazing how our bodies respond to good care.

[Laurie in PA]

I was down another 1.2 this week - 12.8 total

Our meeting is starting a 50 week challenge on Sunday. We were given maps of the US & for every day that we do
all the healthy guidelines, eat at our points range and exercise, we get to check off a state. There will be a
prize at the end for the person with the most states.

[anemone1983]

Laurie in PA, on 23 September 2009 - 04:45 PM, said:

I was down another 1.2 this week - 12.8 total

Our meeting is starting a 50 week challenge on Sunday. We were given maps of the US & for every day that we do
all the healthy guidelines, eat at our points range and exercise, we get to check off a state. There will be a
prize at the end for the person with the most states.

That's great Laurie! Congrats - great job. Funny you should mention the 50 week challenge...today I used Excel to project how long it will take me to get to my goal weight....and it's about 50 weeks! What a coincidence LOL.