Weight Loss Journey: My Thoughts and Progress

[ughubug]

I just want some fellow cheffers thoughts and opinions!

I am on a weight loss journey. Down 19.4 pounds since June.

I have REALLY kicked up my working out. Went from exercising one or two days a week to walking 8 miles a day for the past 3 weeks!

Since starting the walking I gained 0.6 pounds week 1, lost 2 week 2, and lost 3.4 this week. I understand this is healthy weight loss per week.

I am in a biggest loser competition for women in my community and I am by far working out the most and still lagging behind the bigger losers. I am battling an underactive thyroid that I am self medicating due to lack of health insurance. Eating healthy and often. I have 4 weeks to lose as much as possible. Suggestions?

 

[gailz2]

No suggestions here, but congrats and keep up the good work!!!

 

[chefcharity]

Good for you!! That is amazing!! Keep up the awesome work!

You are loosing weight at a healthy rate. Keep in mind a few things: The more you excerise, the more muscle you are building. That is good because muscle burns calories faster than fat does! Make sure you are eating enough to fuel your workouts. Lots of fruits and veggies! I'm sure you are on that, though, since you said you are eating healthy. And don't forget protein.. it helps make those muscles work right.

If you loose weight too fast and are not eating enough, you'll loose muscle. That is bad. I always figure if I am a fit 160 vs a flabby 160, I'm ok (not there yet, 15 more to go)

sounds like you are on the right track.. eat less, move more But eat right.... hehe, it is a vicous cycle! OH, and water! Lots and lots of water! I found if I track my calories and my water intake it helps. Check out Free Diet Plans at SparkPeople . They have meal plans and exercise routines. I use it mostly to track my food and water. That really helps keep me on track.

good luck! Let us know how you do! Keep in mind, even if you aren't the 'biggest loser' you still win because you are down in weight and a healthier you! You are in a win-win situation!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I have lost 21 lbs since July 21st....the only thing I've done is cut out all gluten and refined sugar products. (I eat raw honey, agave nectar, xylitol, etc...in place of sugar) I also am treating hypo-thyroidism brought on by chronic Lymes disease. If you have an issue w/ your thyroid, DO NOT eat any soy products, or raw cruciferous vegetables, as they inhibit the thyroid. (cooked broccoli, cabbage, etc...is fine - just don't eat them raw.)

I feel better, am sleeping better, and have more energy than I've had in years. Funny thing is, the only reason I started eating this way was because my son was diagnosed with food allergies, and it was easier to cook just this way than to make separate meals. I would have never dreamed that it would benefit the rest of us as much as it's benefited him.:thumbup:

 

[pcsharon1]

I have been doing the Metabolism Miracle Plan for the past three months and love it!!! It is for people with Metabolism B - which is basically a sensativity to carbs, your body doesn't process them properly. I also am hypo-thyroid. The plan is basically a carb flush where you eat almost no carbs for the first two months and then reintroduce them at a steady rate for the next two months. Now that I am in the third week of phase 2 I could stay this way for a long time. The limited carbs don't effect me and I don't have the carb cravings that I used to. It's been great. I've lost about 25-30lbs since the end of July.

 

[ughubug]

What foods did you turn to for the carb flush? Are you working out in conjunction?

 

[BethCooks4U]

I have lost 14 pounds since September 7th. I re-joined TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) and gotten back to the routine that I lost over 80 pounds with about 7 years ago. Much of it is back because I slipped back into my old lifestyle and bad habits. I had lots of valid excuses but not enough really to justify staying off track this whole time.

What I do is drink 8 glasses of water a day. WRITE everything I eat down. Make healthy choices. I walk every day that I can. So far it's just about 2 miles/day but it's 2 miles more than I did before September!

I am not on a particular diet. I can eat anything but before I eat it I think. I have to write it down. Is there something else that would satisfy my desire for that food? Can I eat a bite or two instead of a larger amount?

TOPS is a weight loss support group much like WW. They don't have a diet that you have to follow - each person does what works best for them - but there is a 28 day menu in their book. We meet weekly, weigh in and have a program to teach and inspire. TOPS is $26 to join and each chapter collects dues weekly to cover the cost of awards, etc. (most are between $1 and $2 per week). All leaders are volunteers and the organization provides programs to use. You can find them at http://www.tops.org

 

[raebates]

Good for you! You've already gotten great advice. Just remember that if you're exercising a lot you're building muscle, which will increase your metabolism. As the weeks go by your body will burn fat at a faster rate. I'm a diabetic. Fourteen years ago I lost about 50 pounds. I've kept that off ever since (with a few fluctuations here and there). I've been eating healthy and exercising since that time. In February I set a goal to lose 20 pounds by the end of the year. I've lost 13 so far. I ramped up my exercise and made a more conscious effort to eat regularly. Keep up the good work!

 

[chef131doreen]

I have lost 16 pounds since Sept 19th , I am on Bariactics of New England
it ia a very high protein plan with a doctor . But you can find the same protein bars and shakes around 1100 calorie diet
I am on a shake then 3 hours later a bar then shake then bar then 4 oz of meat , chicken or fish big salad and 3 cups veggies
I am not hungry at all
I do feel better too I plan to lose 75 pounds by April then they teach how to keep it off and I do PLAN TO KEEP IT OFF

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

I had heard of the soy but NEVER the raw veggies. I'm not sure what cruciferous vegetables are. I only like certain veggies (peppers, carrots, etc.) if they are raw or lightly cooked. I'm strange that way.

I know you don't have insurance, but is there a free clinic where you can have a doc write you a script for generic Synthroid? My endo was a bear about "dispense as written" but my doc now is not so picky. Most pharmacies around here carry it on their $4 plan.

Continuing to mull diet options ... hope to have something ready to go by the end of the year. I wish PC would come out with a low-carb cookbook! Maybe we can do a collection of recipes ourselves using PC products?

 

[pcsharon1]

Well the main cruciferous vegetables that you are not to eat raw are broccoli and cauliflower. That is from the research I have done. There are probably others but these are the main two that most people eat raw that are bad for patients with hypo-thyroid. That has been in two seperate books I have read in the last year.

As for what carbs to cut - all of them. For 8 weeks you couldn't have anything that had more than 5 net grams of carbs in a five hour periods. So you can eat most meats, cheeses, nuts, eggs, etc as much as you want and lots of vegetables. The book is called the The Metabolism Miracle and you can do an online search for it and find lots of info. Now in the second phase I am reintroducing carbs and have to eat an 11-20gram net carb every five hours, except during the night. It keeps your body from overreacting to the carbs because you eat too many carbs at a time or because you don't eat often enough. The first week of the no carbs was hard and it was slightly annoying the rest of the time but now that I can have that one small carb with each meal and before bed I love it.

And they do recommend working out in conjunction but I've had trouble with that having a three year old and a deployed husband. But I do try to walk several times a week and plan on doing more of that now that I am back home from an extended vacation. Also, I did this program while on vacation and didn't have any trouble with it. Now that the carbs are back in my diet in a limited form this feels like something I can stick with for an extended period of time.

 

[ughubug]

Thank you, all. My intentions were a carb flush for two weeks so I will keep you up to date. Hoping to marry next august in a much smaller version of myself!

 

[Cathy pclady]

Congratulations to everyone on your weigh loss.
I joined TOPS in 1991 and lost 75 lbs to my (then) goal weight of 131 lbs. I was successful in staying at 131 to 135 until 2007 and then 'life happens' and I started to regain. Life got busy for me and I stopped going to TOPS to help childsit and didn't get to walk as much as I was use to. I have rethought this and put ME on the top of the list and since Sept 3, 2010, I have shed 8 lbs and feel so much better and can keep up with the grandkids.I walk at least 3 times a week (4 miles each time) and park at the farthest corner of the parking lot ( even if I have the kids). My goal is to be lighter by 20 more lbs by the new yr and I can do it!
I had my best success with low carb and if you can get your hands on a 'Curves' book there is a great section with questions that will help you decide if you are calorie sensitive or carb sensitive. I am carb and my DH is calorie but because I love salads & fruit it is easy to prepare meals. As long as I stay away from starch/sugar, I am good. I do have a copy typed up if anyone is interested.

 

[Maragib]

Cathy I am interested in the questionnaire, Can you post it here or do you need an email address. Either way freezes_well@yahoo Thanks! Mara

 

[Cathy pclady]

Are you Carbohydrate Sensitive?

Check yes or no for each of the eight statements below

1. You are more than 25 pounds overweight Y N

2. You have has a tendency to be overweight for most of your life Y N

3. You have been over weight since you were very young Y N

4. You have a poor appetite and often skip meals Y N

5. You have food cravings that temporarily go away when you eat starchy or sugary foods Y N

6. You feel that there are foods that you absolutely could not live without Y N

7. Your waistline is bigger than your hips

8. At least 5 of the symptoms of carbohydrate sensitivity from the list above apply to you Y N

If you said Yes to five or more of the above questions, you are likely to be carbohydrate sensitive, and you should follow the Carbohydrate sensitive meal plan

If you did not check Yes for 5 or more answers you show take the following test,

Are you Calorie Sensitive?

Check yes or no for each of the eight statements below

1. You didn’t have a weigh problem when you were younger,
but slowly gained weight since you turned 30 or had children Y N

2. You are over weight by less than 25 lbs Y N

3. You have a normal appetite and you get hungry at meal time Y N

4. You have few if any cravings Y N

5. You have maintained the same basic eating habits all your life Y N

6. You eat three meals a day Y N

7. You have gained weight in the past, but is seems to have tapered off Y N
(you are not continuing to gain weight)

8. You have less than 5 of the symptoms associated with poor carbohydrate metabolism Y N

If you said Yes to five or more of the above questions, you are likely to be calorie sensitive, and you should follow the Calorie sensitive meal plan
Carbohydrate - eat unlimited amounts of protein and NO sugar or flour ( or very limited amounts once you reach you goal) No alcohol, candy, regular pop, cookies, pies, cakes, pastry, pasta, bread, rolls
Stick to meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, salads and fresh fruit Use sugar free food for your sweet tooth and go easy on bad fats and watch for bad carbohydrate fruit and veggies during the first 2 weeks

 

[pcsharon1]

There were a lot more questions, including actual health statics about your blood glucose and such, in the Metabolism B questionnaire. But these were also part of it.

 

[ughubug]

Thank you, I am carb sensitive!!!

 

[wadesgirl]

First off I'm going to state that I don't know your body compositation. This is a key factor in the weight you will lose and the muscle you will tone. The more fat you have to lose the more pounds that will come off right away. Or if you are like me where I'm just slightly overweight but instead of losing weight, I'm losing fat and toning muscle so I'm not losing that much weight itself.

As far as the system that has worked for me for the last 1 1/2 years - 6 small meals a day. Yes you will feel like you are constantly eating but you are eating less per meal and keeping your stomach from feeling like it's starving. I've never been one to feel like I needed to cut something from my diet (carbs, etc). You need carbs to fuel your body especially if you are working out. The meal plan I've worked with is 1 carb and 1 protien per meal except the meal afterworking out is stricly protien. Any carb the size of your fist and any protien the size of your palm. On top of that, all the veggies you want to eat. You don't want to deprive your body of something it needs - like carbs - because instead of losing weight, your body goes into hibernation mode thinking it needs to store fat because you aren't getting enough fuel.

The other thing that I would say is to eat breakfast and within 1/2 hour of waking up. This will help to keep your body fueled for the day. The longer you weight the more likely you are to overeat at the next time.

As far as working out, you need to do toning excersizes along with cardio. The program I work with does 3 days of cardio a week and 3 days of kettle bells/resistance bands.

 

[Cathy pclady]

Wadesgirl - I do what you are doing and I do eat carbs. just not the unhealthy kind anymore. I have always ate breakfast but realized I was eating the wrong food. For me, one slice of bread lead to the whole loaf by the end of the day... always seem to crave bread for some reason. When I first started with TOPS, I followed the Canada Food guide, drank no less than 8 glasses of water and exercised. lost the 75 lbs and felt so good. But then let my guard down and stopped watching what I was eating and the lbs started hanging around again. Now I have an egg scrambled up with broccoli, mushroom, onion and everyother day or so I put a little bit of our PC maple Honey mustard sauce to kick it up a notch.... weird but it tastes great. Salad for lunch with some type of protien and the same for supper with chicken breast or fish. Snacks during the day with the toddlers are fruits. My actual toning excersises ae more lifting of small of children/bales of hay/water pails, truck tires etc but I do the Wii when I get a spare min. about 3 x a week. I perfer to walk, hike and mountain climb.
Everyone is different and for me, as soon as I answered the low carb/calories questions, I realized that I was eating TOO many carbs and started cutting back and started feeling better with in a week. I have 6 sisters and 1 is carb sensitive and the other 5 are calorie... go figure.....

 

[BethCooks4U]

Wadesgirl - I do what you are doing and I do eat carbs. just not the unhealthy kind anymore. I have always ate breakfast but realized I was eating the wrong food. For me, one slice of bread lead to the whole loaf by the end of the day... always seem to crave bread for some reason. When I first started with TOPS, I followed the Canada Food guide, drank no less than 8 glasses of water and exercised. lost the 75 lbs and felt so good. But then let my guard down and stopped watching what I was eating and the lbs started hanging around again. Now I have an egg scrambled up with broccoli, mushroom, onion and everyother day or so I put a little bit of our PC maple Honey mustard sauce to kick it up a notch.... weird but it tastes great. Salad for lunch with some type of protien and the same for supper with chicken breast or fish. Snacks during the day with the toddlers are fruits. My actual toning excersises ae more lifting of small of children/bales of hay/water pails, truck tires etc but I do the Wii when I get a spare min. about 3 x a week. I perfer to walk, hike and mountain climb.
Everyone is different and for me, as soon as I answered the low carb/calories questions, I realized that I was eating TOO many carbs and started cutting back and started feeling better with in a week. I have 6 sisters and 1 is carb sensitive and the other 5 are calorie... go figure.....

Sounds like me. When I was a TOPS/KOPS member 7 years ago I had no trouble losing and keeping it off but it's easy to get back into old habits especially when your life turns upside down and your comfort foods beacon.

For at least 6 months I tried to get back to my TOPS habits on my own (water, healthier choices, smaller servings, etc) and I just didn't do it - I was going to say couldn't but I know that's an excuse. When I was younger I could - I never joined any groups and when I tried I lost but now I need the accountability and support.

This first month back I have been very successful and intend to shock my doctor when I see him again in March! We're also planning a major trip in June that I really want to be slim for. AND I know that I'll be healthier at the lower weight.

I eat breakfast every day. I can eat a carb in the am and it doesn't seem to make me crave them all day but I usually have a banana and yogurt or Kashi Go Lean Cereal with fruit. I eat a light lunch, a snack and whatever I make my husband for dinner. I eat much smaller servings then I did and sometimes it's those Lean Cousine or Smart One or other brand meals for lunch with a salad. I eat out at least twice a week and am careful to order as healthy as I can. I take at least half of my food home for another (or 2) meal. I avoid fast food at all costs.

What works for me may not work for everyone and that's what I love about TOPS. Everyone can use what works for them. We give each other tips and ideas to try and the programs give us lots of great healthy information.

 

[Cathy pclady]

I had great sucuss with TOPS and was a KOP for over 17 yrs but in 2007 my daughter & I were airlifted to Toronto (7 hrs away) and we ended up in & out of the Hospital for 6 long weeks with her complications of carrying the twins at 26weeks. It was touch and go for the first week with the twins and then her kidneys started shutting down. Hospital food was not the greatest and with 3 lives in danger it was so much easier to grap a muffin or bagel... Long story shorten...far away from home and not knowing anyone in the city, I grab the easiest things to eat. Our little angel in heaven (Ethan passed at 29.5 weeks in the womb) watches over us and we enjoy each and every second of the day with Hannah. And I have now decide that I need to get back into the smaller clothes that are hiding in the closet and get healthier to play with the grandkids... I'm only 51 and plan on being here strong, healthy and happy when they graduate from college.... setting small goals and rewarding yourself with non food items is working for me... momma wants a new pair of shoes when I get down to 140....

 

[poohritz]

One thing to remember even in a biggest loser competion you are pitted against yourself and no one else. btw since I started my weight loss jouney I have lost 34 lbs. But that is not including the times i have gained a pound and then lost it again. You have to look at this that each walk you take gets you closer to your goal. plateaus happen, but they do not last. Not much else I can say. Keep up the great work and it will happen.

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Sigh of relief. I'm hypothyroid and a big broccoli and cauliflower hater!

 

[cookingwithlove]

I just want some fellow cheffers thoughts and opinions!

I am on a weight loss journey. Down 19.4 pounds since June.

Congratulations! Just keep a steady pace with the weight loss. As far as the thyroid, what about walk in clinics. We have Zoom Care here where they charge you less than a doctor's office because it is cash.

 

[ughubug]

Well it's been a great week! I am down 24.8 lbs total and I was hired at a new full time job with health benefits! Thirteen days left of competition and I am within 1 pound of the first place girl right now! I have been working out 1 hour every morning and 2 hour every night! The carb flush is going well and my cravings are minimal!

 

[Cathy pclady]

ughubug- congrats!! keep up the awesome work! I found that the less harmful carbs I ate, the better I felt and the cravings soon left as well.

 

[raebates]

Wooo hooo! That's great news! You go girl!

 

[ughubug]

I missed last weeks weigh in due to starting my new job...but...the other girl just did juice all week and lost 6.4 pounds. Since I was in training this whole last week I couldn't lose the brain power by juicing and I am sure the fruit juice would kill me after low carbs...So I have eaten clean proteins and vegetables all week. I am not sure where I am at weight wise since their scale is different than any of the ones I have regular access to.I was up at 5:30 every morning to do step aerobics on the Wii Fit. I was at the gym from 4:30 to 6:30 or 7pm each night doing elyptical, treadmill, and the arc trainer along with crunchies. I think to be secured in first place it would need to be a 13lb weight loss in the last two weeks. Which is not likely but I have kicked my own but for the past 8 weeks of competition and I am so proud of myself!Thank you all for your support!Final weigh in Monday and Finale, where we find out the winner...Tuesday night!

 

[Maragib]

maybe cut the salt so you are not retaining any water for Monday. Good Luck sounds like you have been working hard to win.
Mara

 

[raebates]

Best wishes! Win or lose the contest you're definitely a winner. I'm up to 14 pounds lost, nearing my goal for the year. Yippee!