Re: New Year is almost here!

[Guest guest]

I just want to be consistent through 2007. I know that my weight loss

has slowed down, and probably will continue to slow throughout the

last half of 100 pounds, but I want to stay consistent with my calorie

counting and exercise, not get discouraged, and just keep working on

losing!!!

>

> What are you girls' resolutions

> this year? -moonmayden

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/28/2006 5:10:20 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, moonmayden85@... writes:

What are you girls' resolutions this year?

I don't know where I picked this up, could have been this group, could have been another group. BUT, I am with the author. I am not making resolutions - I am making intentions. The past three years, several times a year I go through this and have a perpetual I Owe Me going:

I Owe Me:Write yourself an I.O.U. that comes due in 6 months and put it in an envelope. Write down whatever you feel you owe yourself: a vacation? a new t.v.? a healthier body? Remember that you now owe it to yourself to accomplish or fulfill whatever you've written on that piece of paper.Don't Default!

I can't tell you what my I owe me's have been, but I can tell you I have satisfied a lot of them. Some of them have been weight or exercise related, some have been job related (get a new position or raise, new job, etc)... go for it! You are worth it!

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/28/2006 5:14:27 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, ebax@... writes:

It would be so easy to say, Lose XX lbs by YY. I can't do that anymore.That's a recipe for failure.

I agree Eileen. Sure, I have *only* lost 31 lbs in 2 years, but at least it is losing and at a manageable speed. I allow myself goodies, so I don't feel deprived. Sure, I could step it up a notch and lose 1-3 lbs a week, but then I would cheat more, I know it. I know we all have to do what we have to do, but I am accepting of the fact that it really could take me another 4.5 years to lose the other 90-115 lbs that I have to lose.

Keep up the good work - 10 lbs gone IS 10 lbs gone!!

[Guest guest]

It would be so easy to say, Lose XX lbs by YY. I can't do that anymore.

That's a recipe for failure.

I want to keep on keeping on, trying to move from a specific goal or quest

to a conscious life of watching every day what I'm doing, trying to keep my

head on straight, and not beat myself up if I fall down once in a while.

Not just weight, but personal relationships, life management, etc.

It's not so much that I don't have goals. I just want to accomplish some

daily goals on a routine basis for a while and then add more as I " absorb "

what the daily goals have taught me.

Eileen in OR

>

> What are you girls' resolutions

> this year? -moonmayden

>

[Guest guest]

Only 31 pounds. LOL 31 pounds is AWESOME! 10 pounds is AWESOME!

Heck, losing even one pound is better than gaining.

4 1/2 years only seems like a long time if you are imagining

actually carrying around the extra 90 or so pounds that whole time.

But you WON'T be! As long as you are consistent and stick to your

plan, you'll be losing pounds the whole time! I mean at the rate

you are talking, that whole last year you'll be within 20 pounds of

your goal!!!

I like the math, so I like to set up goals to lose X amount pounds

by a specific date, and them calculate my rate of loss as I go

along. But the math is fun for me. (Yeah, I'm a nerd.) My

journals are all full of calculations and possible scenarios. I've

hit a lot of my targets, and missed some, but I wouldn't do ANYTHING

in this weight loss effort if it was something that stressed me

out. It's good to recognize what triggers your anxiety and work

with a plan that is just right for you.

>

>

> I agree Eileen. Sure, I have *only* lost 31 lbs in 2 years, but

at least it

> is losing and at a manageable speed. I allow myself goodies, so

I don't

> feel deprived. Sure, I could step it up a notch and lose 1-3 lbs

a week, but

> then I would cheat more, I know it. I know we all have to do

what we have to

> do, but I am accepting of the fact that it really could take me

another 4.5

> years to lose the other 90-115 lbs that I have to lose.

>

> Keep up the good work - 10 lbs gone IS 10 lbs gone!!

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

> With the coming of the New Year comes the tradition of making a > resolution or setting a goal to accomplish durring the year ahead.

This past January 1 I resolved to eat more donuts, and darn it, I DID! OK, so many of them were homemade using vegan muffin recipes with whole grain flour, either Splenda or agave necter for sweeteners and baked in a non-stick donut pan instead of fired, but they *were* donuts, none the less. LOL

Sue in NJ

[Guest guest]

but I am accepting of the fact that it really could take me another 4.5 > years to lose the other 90-115 lbs that I have to lose.

Just the other day I wrote in my journal that at my *best* - when I was only 11 years old and on a strict 1000 calories a day - it took me 2 years to lose 30 pounds. Now, assuming it will take me twice as long to lose the same amount of weight *now* in peri-menopause, with slowed metabolism from an additional 40+ years of dieting, hypothyroidism, and a few orthopedic and neurological injuries that keep me from being as active as I was when I was 11 years old, it should take me at least 10 years to lose the 150 pounds I need to lose to be a "perfect" weight.

I guess I better get started!

Sue in NJ

[Guest guest]

Thanks, . I think so too. Bye bye, 10-lb sugar sack.

Keep up the good work - 10 lbs gone IS 10 lbs gone!!

[Guest guest]

Eileen, as you know I am new here and I just wanted to say I do

appreciate you saying

" It would be so easy to say, Lose XX lbs by YY. I can't do that anymore.

That's a recipe for failure. "

Before when I lost 55-84 pounds I made up a chart and made up a goal

for myself. What I did was I looked at how much I weighed then I

decided I would give myself a weekly goal of 2 pounds or something and

then put my weekly weigh in date with a place to write my actual weight

vs what my goals were and often when we are larger if we are trying, we

often lose more than 1-2 pounds a week, so it was a tool for motivation

too. The more success we see the more encouraging it is to continue.

I think I will try the goal chart thing again... but like I said before

I appreciate you saying that because it lets me know that my inner

frusteration isn't the only one out there feeling overwhelmed by the

amount of weight I need to lose. *hug*

Shirley in CO

[Guest guest]

Re: New Year is almost here!

Eileen, as you know I am new here and I just wanted to say I do

appreciate you saying

" It would be so easy to say, Lose XX lbs by YY. I can't do that anymore.

That's a recipe for failure. "

Before when I lost 55-84 pounds I made up a chart and made up a goal

for myself. What I did was I looked at how much I weighed then I

decided I would give myself a weekly goal of 2 pounds or something and

then put my weekly weigh in date with a place to write my actual weight

vs what my goals were and often when we are larger if we are trying, we

often lose more than 1-2 pounds a week, so it was a tool for motivation

too. The more success we see the more encouraging it is to continue.

I think I will try the goal chart thing again... but like I said before

I appreciate you saying that because it lets me know that my inner

frusteration isn't the only one out there feeling overwhelmed by the

amount of weight I need to lose. *hug*

Shirley in CO

100-Plus Files page 100-plus/files

100-Plus Links page 100-plus/links

[Guest guest]

you're so bad LOL I need to come around more often just for your posts! Live, Love, Laugh

Re: New Year is almost here!

> With the coming of the New Year comes the tradition of making a > resolution or setting a goal to accomplish durring the year ahead.

This past January 1 I resolved to eat more donuts, and darn it, I DID! OK, so many of them were homemade using vegan muffin recipes with whole grain flour, either Splenda or agave necter for sweeteners and baked in a non-stick donut pan instead of fired, but they *were* donuts, none the less. LOL

Sue in NJ

[Guest guest]

> Before when I lost 55-84 pounds I made up a chart and made up a goal

> for myself. What I did was I looked at how much I weighed then I

> decided I would give myself a weekly goal of 2 pounds or something and

> then put my weekly weigh in date with a place to write my actual weight

> vs what my goals were

That's all well and good, but remember that event he experts say to *expect*

to plateau or even gain a bit eveyr now and then. I think it's Dr. ti of

the new Rice Diet program that says every 6 weeks we should expect no loss

for a week or more while our bodies get used to the new size and new amounts

of food we're giving it.

Remember, too, as we eat less our bodies also require less calories, too, so

if after a month at the same level of weight we should think about boosting

our exercise a bit more (to increase calories burned off) or drop our

calories a bit. To *expect* a 2 pound a week loss week after week is

unrealistic.

and often when we are larger if we are trying, we

> often lose more than 1-2 pounds a week,

When anyone starts a low calories food plan, we might experience a larger

than normal amount of weight loss for the first week or so, which is usually

water loss as we reduce the amount of sodium we take in as well as calories.

After that, we should aim for a 1 to 2 pound loss a week. Anything higher

than that and we deprive our bodies of the nutrition it needs for optimal

health and we'll just as quickly regain that weight.

Sue in NJ

[Guest guest]

Sue, Wow. Thank you for the information. I have a question. You said, "as we eat less our bodies also require less calories". Isn't that the concept of gastric bypass surgery? But what I am wondering is the less we eat our stomaches shrink and don't require as much food as you said earlier, to lose a pound we only have to burn 3500 calories more than we intake. "It has been calculated that 1 pound of body fat is equal to 3500 calories." Also, if you are excercising and you have changed your eating habits from doulbe cheeseburgers and fries at Mcs often to maybe a grilled home cooked hamburger... wouldn't that continue to make you lose steadily? I know there are plateaus, but if you kick it up a slight notch at that point is it like a trigger that. The reason that I said a larger person loses easier than a smaller person is because it takes a larger person less

effort to make the heart speed up. When I was going to the YMCA a few years ago the trainer person that was helping explain to me the impact of your age and what heart rate you have to be to burn calories. The heavier you are, the easier it is to speed up your heart rate. If you look at some of the fancier treadmills in the gym you will see that if you plug your weight into the program for it to show you how many calories you have burned, you will see the higher your weight is, the more calories you burn for the same excercise as someone smaller. I am refering to the maximum heart rate.

To find your maximum heart rate you simply subtract your age from 220. TRAINING ZONES (This comes from http://www.thewalkingsite.com/thr.html but I first saw this information used at the YMCA.) Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) --- 50 - 60% of maximum heart rate: The easiest zone and probably the best zone for people just starting a fitness program. It can also be used as a warm up for more serious walkers. This zone

has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats!Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) --- 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate: This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. The percent of fat calories is still 85%.Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) --- 70 - 80% of maximum heart rate: The aerobic zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system AND increase the size and strength of your heart. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. More calories are burned with 50% from fat.Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) --- 80 - 90% of maximum heart rate: Benefits of this zone include an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus an improved cardiorespiratory system, and a higher lactate tolerance ability which means your endurance will improve and you'll be able to fight fatigue better. This is a high intensity zone burning more calories, 15 % from fat.Red Line (Maximum Effort) --- 90 - 100% of maximum heart rate: Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is very intense. Most people can only stay in this zone for short periods. You should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and

have been cleared by a physician to do so. Now, when you first start and normally are heavier, you reach higher heart rates with less effort. At least that is what I was told and I observed. I love the treadmills and other cardio equipment that has the heartrate calculators on them. I mean its great to lose as your bodies do. I am just a little confused why you said that if you lose more than 1-2 pounds in a week you are starving your body of nutrients? If you are taking a multi-vitamin and you are not starving yourself. I am just wondering why you are saying that. I am not trying to disagree, but more trying to fully understand what you are saying. Thanks, Shirley in CO Sue in NJ <sparticles@...> wrote: > Before when I lost 55-84 pounds I made up a chart and made up a goal> for myself. What I did was I looked at how much I weighed then I> decided I would give myself a weekly goal of 2 pounds or something and> then put my weekly weigh in date with a place to write my actual weight> vs what my goals wereThat's all

well and good, but remember that event he experts say to *expect*to plateau or even gain a bit eveyr now and then. I think it's Dr. ti ofthe new Rice Diet program that says every 6 weeks we should expect no lossfor a week or more while our bodies get used to the new size and new amountsof food we're giving it.Remember, too, as we eat less our bodies also require less calories, too, soif after a month at the same level of weight we should think about boostingour exercise a bit more (to increase calories burned off) or drop ourcalories a bit. To *expect* a 2 pound a week loss week after week isunrealistic.and often when we are larger if we are trying, we> often lose more than 1-2 pounds a week,When anyone starts a low calories food plan, we might experience a largerthan normal amount of weight loss for the first week or so, which is usuallywater loss as we reduce the amount of sodium we take in as

well as calories.After that, we should aim for a 1 to 2 pound loss a week. Anything higherthan that and we deprive our bodies of the nutrition it needs for optimalhealth and we'll just as quickly regain that weight.Sue in NJ __________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Occasional plateaus are not a bad thing. If my body needs a couple weeks to

" adjust " and thereby making it a little more likely that the weight won't

come back, I'm all for it.

My sister and I spent most of last week working on Mom's house, packing

boxes, taking trash to dumpster (20 cubic yards and then some), going up

and down stairs (she much more than I). We were both disappointed at

weigh-in on Saturday - I was up 0.5 and she was up 3+ lbs. She said she ate

a lot on Christmas and missed the gym a couple days (she goes pretty

religiously every day for 30 min. of cardio). I figured it was salty snacks

and Chinese food that did me in.

Then a dear e-friend of mine, a retired nurse and successful " loser " said,

" I have two words for you - muscle mass " It is quite likely that we added

muscle doing all this physical work, and as I said, she did much more than

I. She said it was fairly low intensity for her, but she is close to goal

weight also, whereas I probably need to lose 130 lbs. Virtually nothing is

low intensity for me (smile).

I try not to get wrapped up in x lbs in y months. Finally. I still get a

little concerned about the weigh-in, but more important is the fact that I

still go to the meetings. I'm still gaining awareness of what I'm eating,

portion sizes, hidden fats and sugars, etc. I know that I didn't eat to

excess on either T-giving or Christmas, but I am a world-class nibbler, and

nibbles have calories, too.

It's awareness, education, being kind to yourself while not getting

complacent.

Just my .02

Eileen in OR

[Guest guest]

Eileen, You know that is a good point. In our battle of the bulge we often get caught up in pounds... and often there are many reasons why we do, but you know honestly even more than the pounds, the inches and cm's are more important. I was going to do the Body for Life 12 week challenge a couple years ago and When I started it, I measured so many parts of me and every week during my weekly weigh in, I also measured and even if the pounds weren't the most impressive, the inches and cm were encouraging. ShirleyEileen <ebax@...> wrote: Occasional plateaus are not a bad thing. If my body needs a couple weeks to"adjust" and thereby making it a little more likely that the weight won'tcome back, I'm all for it.My sister and I spent most of last week working on Mom's house, packingboxes, taking trash to dumpster (20 cubic yards and then some), going upand down stairs (she much more than I). We were both disappointed atweigh-in on Saturday - I was up 0.5 and she was up 3+ lbs. She said she atea lot on Christmas and missed the gym a couple days (she goes prettyreligiously every day for 30 min. of cardio). I figured it was salty snacksand Chinese food that did me in.Then a dear e-friend of mine, a retired nurse and successful "loser" said,"I have two words for you - muscle mass" It is quite likely that we addedmuscle doing all this physical work, and as I said, she did much more thanI. She

said it was fairly low intensity for her, but she is close to goalweight also, whereas I probably need to lose 130 lbs. Virtually nothing islow intensity for me (smile).I try not to get wrapped up in x lbs in y months. Finally. I still get alittle concerned about the weigh-in, but more important is the fact that Istill go to the meetings. I'm still gaining awareness of what I'm eating,portion sizes, hidden fats and sugars, etc. I know that I didn't eat toexcess on either T-giving or Christmas, but I am a world-class nibbler, andnibbles have calories, too.It's awareness, education, being kind to yourself while not gettingcomplacent.Just my .02Eileen in OR __________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 1/2/2007 7:42:17 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, ebax@... writes:

It's awareness, education, being kind to yourself while not gettingcomplacent.

Good points, Eileen - I know everyone is allowed their own feelings and opinions, but I am with you right now about not getting fixated on losing X by Y - who knows, maybe it will change, but I have been unsuccessful on a lot of diets, so this time, I am changing how I program my head.

P.s. congrats on your 'ok' weigh in - 1/2 lb up after holidays, building muscle mass, etc is alright in my book

[Guest guest]

> but I am with you right now about not getting fixated on losing X by Y

I try not to get fixated on numbers (Unsuccessfully, most times). But when I *do* mention specific numbers people tell me I'm not aiming high enough (a low enough weight), that my long term goal should be some mystical number on a chart that I only saw once in my life, back when my age was still in the single digits! I know that I will never get to that number again, even if I starve myself and exercise for hours each day.

My weight loss long term goal is to fit into size 2X t-shirts again. My weight ranged between 180 and 220 when I wore that size back in my teens and early 20's. I know that at age 53 it would be silly to think I would be able to get any thinner than that.

My size has been 3x and 4x, depending on cut, from 220 pounds through the upper 290's. Right now, my dimensions have shifted a bit, like the shifting sands of time, so my top half is smaller than it was 25 years ago but the bottom half is larger, even though the weight has stayed in the same range. If I can get that bottom half back to the same size it was 25 years ago I should be able to get back to those 2X sizes. If not, at least the 3X will be a bit looser.

Sue in NJ

[Guest guest]

Sue,

Never say never....

But I bet once you get down to 220 lb you want to continue to keep going... Because your overall feeling will be better....

Let's work it together ... We can do it.

-- Re: Re: New Year is almost here!

> but I am with you right now about not getting fixated on losing X by Y

I try not to get fixated on numbers (Unsuccessfully, most times). But when I *do* mention specific numbers people tell me I'm not aiming high enough (a low enough weight), that my long term goal should be some mystical number on a chart that I only saw once in my life, back when my age was still in the single digits! I know that I will never get to that number again, even if I starve myself and exercise for hours each day.

My weight loss long term goal is to fit into size 2X t-shirts again. My weight ranged between 180 and 220 when I wore that size back in my teens and early 20's. I know that at age 53 it would be silly to think I would be able to get any thinner than that.

My size has been 3x and 4x, depending on cut, from 220 pounds through the upper 290's. Right now, my dimensions have shifted a bit, like the shifting sands of time, so my top half is smaller than it was 25 years ago but the bottom half is larger, even though the weight has stayed in the same range. If I can get that bottom half back to the same size it was 25 years ago I should be able to get back to those 2X sizes. If not, at least the 3X will be a bit looser.

Sue in NJ

[Guest guest]

Sue honey, you are sounding a bit overwhelmed. How are you doing? I know when you look at things and work on something for a long time, sometimes the end begins to seem like only a mirage. But unlike the pursuit of the fountain of youth or the pot at the end of the rainbow, this prize truely does exist. May I ask you a question? How long have you been trying to lose weight? Shirley in COCS <hofweiler@...> wrote: Sue, Never say never.... But I bet once you get down to 220 lb you want to continue to keep going... Because your overall feeling will be better.... Let's work it together ... We can do it. -- Re: Re: New Year is almost here! > but I am with you right now about not getting fixated on losing X by Y I try not to get fixated on numbers (Unsuccessfully, most times). But when I *do* mention specific numbers people tell me I'm not aiming high enough (a low enough weight), that my long term goal should be some mystical number on a chart that I only saw once in my life, back when my age was still in the single digits! I know that I will never get to that number again, even if I starve myself and exercise for hours each day. My weight loss long term goal is to fit into size 2X t-shirts again. My weight ranged between 180 and 220 when I wore that size back in my teens and early 20's. I know that at age 53 it would be

silly to think I would be able to get any thinner than that. My size has been 3x and 4x, depending on cut, from 220 pounds through the upper 290's. Right now, my dimensions have shifted a bit, like the shifting sands of time, so my top half is smaller than it was 25 years ago but the bottom half is larger, even though the weight has stayed in the same range. If I can get that bottom half back to the same size it was 25 years ago I should be able to get back to those 2X sizes. If not, at least the 3X will be a bit looser. Sue in NJ __________________________________________________