[Mindful i Mouse] Working Towards a Resolve

[Guest guest]

Internally, I feel good. I notice when I walk, it's not laboured nor am I huffing and puffing. This morning we had to have an air hose fixed, so husband wanted to go to a restaurant for breakfast. The truck stop we were at here in FL didn't have a restaurant, only a Popeye's Chicken. So he said that we could go across the street to the other truck stop and they have a Denny's. After a long trek there, it turns out it was closed. Sigh. Twice I was getting excited for eggs for breakfast and twice a let down. Nothing like heading back to the truck and eat my flaxseed meal. I know, I shouldn't make food out to be important in that way. What does it matter what I eat, I am no longer hungry after my regular truck breakfast. Sometimes I feel like I am tying myself up for no reason at all. I am my own hostage. Which makes me sit back and think about what I am doing. As I said, I feel well inside and I think that can be deceiving in it's own weird way. Of course I want to feel this way, but it can be misleading when it comes to continuing weight loss. I read another blog yesterday where someone wants to get below a threshold they can seem to break because life gets in the way. Lots of excuses on some posts, lots of determination on others. As though just writing it down in black and white will make it so, or wish it away. I read another blog that the person wants to change their goal weight to a higher number because they are feeling pretty good at a weight that is still over 200 pounds. They thought maybe 190 was a better weight for a woman at 5'5 " . I wondered if they just wanted to end the diet sooner or just felt so much better that the need to get lower wasn't necessary. Am I falling under that spell? I have goals to achieve and I am not getting anywhere near them. I have struggles now and then, but nothing in the line of really going off my diet. Just enough extra calories to keep me staying put on the scale. I need to take a deep breath and put forth the determination to actually get to the goals I want to achieve instead of thinking " this feels good, I am doing just fine " . I am no where near a normal weight! I still have a great deal of weight to lose and need to get back into the groove of serious weight loss. I managed to keep my calories at 1004 yesterday, today, even lower. Weigh In is tomorrow, I am hoping it stays at the 235 I saw yesterday, I am not hopeful for less, although I want so badly to see that number drop under 232. I will continue to adjust my foods and counts until I find that right combination to make the scale move again. --

Posted By i Mouse to Mindful i Mouse at 2/11/2011 06:42:00 AM

[Guest guest]

On 2/11/2011 8:42 AM, i Mouse wrote:

>Twice I was getting excited for eggs for breakfast and

twice a let down.

A few weeks ago I had my husband pick up a dozen eggs during one of

his treks for food in the snow. Oh, I forgot how good they tasted,

even cooked without fat! I finished off that dozen in less than a

week. My cardiologist would have a fit if he knew, BUT with studies

now saying cholesterol ingested really has little to no effect on

the numbers and eggs are not as harmful as previously thought, I

might pick up another dozen today.

>I know, I shouldn't make food out to be important in that way.

What does it matter what I eat, I am no longer hungry after my

regular truck breakfast.

All those weight loss ads say "Eat to live, don't live to eat," but

food is a very important part of of our lives. Dr. McDougall

(http://www.drmcdougall.com ) says we should eat as monotonous a

diet as we can stand, because variety only leads to over-eating.

Heck, I'm the opposite! If I have to eat the same boring foods day

in and day out I go nuts and know I'll be heading for a binge soon!

That's why I try eat my oatmeal different every morning, some days

adding frozen fruit, other days raisins, or applesauce, or none at

all, just a bit of salt. I allow myself a weekly splurge on Sundays

with a frozen Amy's Breakfast Burrito.

> I read another blog that the person wants to change their

goal weight to a higher number because they are feeling pretty

good at a weight that is still over 200 pounds. They thought

maybe 190 was a better weight for a woman at 5'5". I wondered

if they just wanted to end the diet sooner or just felt so much

better that the need to get lower wasn't necessary. Am I

falling under that spell?

I spent my late adolescence and young adulthood at 220 pounds. I was

happy and healthy even though I was fat. My doctor now says he would

be very happy if I could get back to that weight and stay there,

although my body seems to want to stay in the 250's right now, 40

years later.

>I have goals to achieve and I am not getting anywhere near

them.

You're about the only one here that IS reporting any weight loss on

a steady basis, although you have to eat a very radial and very

restricted diet, food and calorie-wise, to get there. I

think you're doing pretty good!

Sue in NJ

[Guest guest]

You're about the only one here that IS reporting any weight loss on

a steady basis, although you have to eat a very radial and very

restricted diet, food and calorie-wise, to get there. I

think you're doing pretty good!

hehehe: In the 5 weeks from Dec 26-2/1/11 I lost 4 inches and 1.2 lbs

I guess I didn't transfer the information from my blog to the group

[Guest guest]

it would be nice if everyone kept up with a progress report of some kind, it’s so hard to know who needs pats on the back and who needs extra support. Congrats on the loss!

From: ABrite@...

Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 5:22 PM

100-plus

Subject: Re: [Mindful i Mouse] Working Towards a Resolve

You're about the only one here that IS reporting any weight loss on a steady basis, although you have to eat a very radial and very restricted diet, food and calorie-wise, to get there. I think you're doing pretty good!

hehehe: In the 5 weeks from Dec 26-2/1/11 I lost 4 inches and 1.2 lbsI guess I didn't transfer the information from my blog to the group

[Guest guest]

From: Sue in NJ

Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 8:05 AM

100-plus

Subject: Re: [Mindful i Mouse] Working Towards a Resolve

BUT with studies now saying cholesterol ingested really has little to no effect on the numbers and eggs are not as harmful as previously thought, I might pick up another dozen today.

I must have eggs! I love them. I eat them more at home than on the road because I prefer soft yolks. Phooey on all the “studies†out there, they never reveal the funding source, nor do do they take in other considerations. They have just done a study trying to link diet soda pop to heart attacks and strokes. Really? They track XXX individuals for 9 years by what they report and because of the diet soda alone, the ones who drink more have more strokes? What about all the other factors? I completely give up on following whatever latest study there is out there. Bunk.

All those weight loss ads say "Eat to live, don't live to eat," but food is a very important part of of our lives. Dr. McDougall (http://www.drmcdougall.com ) says we should eat as monotonous a diet as we can stand, because variety only leads to over-eating. Heck, I'm the opposite! If I have to eat the same boring foods day in and day out I go nuts and know I'll be heading for a binge soon! That's why I try eat my oatmeal different every morning, some days adding frozen fruit, other days raisins, or applesauce, or none at all, just a bit of salt. I allow myself a weekly splurge on Sundays with a frozen Amy's Breakfast Burrito.I prefer monotony. When there are too many choices, too many flavours and savouries, I will start to think about food too much. When I stick to a basic list of foods, I may get creative with how to prepare them, but my imagination does get too much encouragement with “what can I eat next� So funny, we are opposite in that way, too much variety leads to bingeing for me.I spent my late adolescence and young adulthood at 220 pounds. I was happy and healthy even though I was fat. My doctor now says he would be very happy if I could get back to that weight and stay there, although my body seems to want to stay in the 250's right now, 40 years later.

But how do you feel about 220"? I know when I was in my higher ranges and felt I could not lose weight, I kept thinking, well, if only I could get to 250, I would be happy. But I was accepting a partial successes rather than a necessary goal. I worry on this one, I find myself wondering if I will not make it all the way to goal because it is easier to accept being overweight. I short sell myself all the time.You're about the only one here that IS reporting any weight loss on a steady basis, although you have to eat a very radial and very restricted diet, food and calorie-wise, to get there. I think you're doing pretty good!Sue in NJ

Thanks, Sue! but it really hasn’t been consistent at all. I worked on my weekly spreadsheet, which showed a lot of gains and 0 losses. I have got to stop the recycling of pounds!

[Guest guest]

But how do you feel about 220"? I know when I was in my higher ranges and felt I could not lose weight, I kept thinking, well, if only I could get to 250, I would be happy. But I was accepting a partial successes rather than a necessary goal. I worry on this one, I find myself wondering if I will not make it all the way to goal because it is easier to accept being overweight. I short sell myself all the time

I agree here. I want to get down to 210 which will be 100 lbs lost and then I will assess where I need to go (how much more weight loss, etc) from there. At almost 44 years old, I know my goal could be different than if I were in my 20s... this is why it's important to involve your medical doctor type person

[Guest guest]

On 2/11/2011 6:22 PM, ABrite@... wrote:

You're about the only one here that IS

reporting any weight loss on a steady basis, although you

have to eat a very radial and very restricted diet, food

and calorie-wise, to get there. I think you're

doing pretty good!

hehehe: In

the 5 weeks from Dec 26-2/1/11 I lost 4 inches and 1.2 lbs

I guess I didn't transfer the information from my blog to

the group

Sorry about that, . Maybe you did but I didn't see it.

Congrats! The 4 inches is great! I guess it's your muscles coming

back, now that you can exercise again since the injury and surgery.

Once they build up a bit more I'm sure the weight will follow.

Sue in NJ

[Guest guest]

On 2/12/2011 11:19 AM, i Mouse wrote:

 

>But how do you feel

about 220"?  I know when I was in my higher ranges and

felt I could not lose weight, I kept thinking, well, if

only I could get to 250, I would be happy.  But I was

accepting a partial successes rather than a necessary

goal.

Unlike you, I have *never* been in the "healthy" BMI range in my

entire life. For me, 220 *is* thin! If I could get back to 220 I

would be the happiest person on earth!

Right now I'm struggling just to get back down out of the upper

250's again. This is over 10 years now, I'll struggle and starve to

get into the 250's, hit 249 for a day or 2, then it goes right back

up to close to 300. It may bounce back down once or twice more in

the few weeks right after I hit it, and only if I really reduce

calories back to 1000 or under, an amount I just can't live on any

more more more than a day or 2 at a time.

Let's see, the last time I hit even 250 was about 6 days total in

the months between May and October 2010. Before that it was July

2001 for only 1 day. During those intervening years I hit 298 twice

but rarely down to the 250's again until last year. In those 9+

years in-between I tried about 6 different food plans, including

plain old calorie counting of 1000 calories again, and the only

times it went down was when I kept the calories that low, ate only

very low fat whole foods (mostly veggies and grains) *and* was able

to get in a minimum of an hour of aerobic exercise (In my target

heart rate zone) a day. Lower the exercise (amount or intensity) or

increase the calories and no loss, only a gain, and with all the

joint and muscle injuries I've had the past 10 years there were more

times I couldn't exercise than I could.

It would take a miracle to get me down to 220 again, a weight I

hadn't seen in a number of *decades*.

Sue in NJ

[Guest guest]

Sorry about that, . Maybe you did but I didn't see it.

Congrats! The 4 inches is great! I guess it's your muscles coming

back, now that you can exercise again since the injury and surgery.

Once they build up a bit more I'm sure the weight will follow.

that's true, I am hanging in there... some days I have only been able to do 15-20 minutes of my workout video, others I can go longer....

Excited to see the next measurements ;-)

[Guest guest]

I felt the same way for MANY MANY years, that I just couldn’t do it anymore. I had even spent years with just accepting that would never be anywhere near a normal weight ever again. Every single time I tried to diet, I failed and all it did was re-enforce my inability to lose more than a handful of pounds. To be honest, I still feel I can’t really do it. The whole process can be so discouraging especially with such a resistant body!

But I have to say that I didn’t drop from eating a great deal to a 1000 calorie diet overnight. I just could never sustain that sort of thing. It literally took me a year to slowly lower the calories, with a period of time (seemed like forever) that I felt a great deal of hunger that I had to get used to. The more I worked through it the more I learned to love the feeling of being hungry for the next meal and how light it made me feel overall, it became a positive feeling, rather than a negative.

While they sound like negative words, discipline and deprivation is what it takes to lose massive amounts of weight. I can’t tell you how many times I have felt angry and resentful that my husband cheats and eats in front of me, all the crab I say no to. Yet, in the end, I have lost 86 pounds, he has lost 40 in the same amount of time. Yep, we are both successful in our won ways in losing weight, but we go at it differently. Aging, restaurants, lack of motivation, medical issues, holidays, Saturday nights, whatever is the pleasure point of eating that we throw all caution to the wind, is the the very thing that keeps us locked into our own mindset that we cannot lose weight no matter what we do. It’s not true. Only our mindset keeps us from our goals.

That is what I have to break through...thinking I can’t do it. I use menopause, I use aging, I use lack of exercise as my reasons that I can’t, but what is the alternative? There is nothing wrong with choosing to remain where I am at, but I keep thinking, I won’t know what it means to be a normal weight at THIS age and time in my life, unless I make the huge effort to get there. I don’t think the last time I was a normal weight I appreciated it as much as I would now, because when a person is young, they can’t imagine what it is like to never be able to touch youth again. I lost weight and was young and sexy and feeling so different than I feel now. I lose weight now, it is not the same thing at all. Not at all. I think I have a lot of fears of being thin and it not make one bit of difference, even in health. It my mind block.

From: Sue in NJ

Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2011 5:18 PM

100-plus

Subject: Re: [Mindful i Mouse] Working Towards a Resolve

It would take a miracle to get me down to 220 again, a weight I hadn't seen in a number of *decades*.Sue in NJ

[Guest guest]

I can’t tell you how many times I have felt angry and resentful that my husband cheats and eats in front of me, all the crab I say no to. Yet, in the end, I have lost 86 pounds, he has lost 40 in the same amount of time.

My hunny doesn't even try to lose weight, other than he *does* exercise and he does like to talk the talk about eating right. He just eats too much IMHO and his exercise is sporadic. Not always daily, but probably averages out to 3-4 times a week.

In the past 6-6.5 years that I have been doing this and struggling mentally, physically and with the just plain laziness I can fall into, I have lost/kept off 29 lbs... he has lost nothing.

I get frustrated with the "lectures" that he can give me: eat this/not that, etc and I am like "when you are doing all of this and losing weight, you can talk to me about dieting, otherwise, leave me alone" - I am doing something about it....

Plbbbbbt

[Guest guest]

Yeah, that is the same here too. My husband, Mr Know it All on any subject. He also thinks exercise makes up for bad eating choices and yet he cannot exercise now and hasn’t in 3 years, so his talk of exercise drives me nuts. He is pre-diabetic and won’t give up his candy, bread or potatoes. He talks a good diet game but when it comes down to it, he has very little discipline. When he does, it lasts but a few short weeks. We just stopped at Walmart and he stopped in the candy aisle, now he’s stopped buying the sugar free and buying regular candy. I know when I am gone, he is going to go back to eating snacks and fast food more often, thinking he’ll eventually get it under control.

It will be ironic indeed that I weighed so much more than him when we marries and now it is reversed, he is now the heavier partner. I don’t think he comprehends that when I come back, I will be 157 or so and he will not even recognize me! I truly (and sadly) think he will gain weight by the time I get back. A year is a long time.

E

From: ABrite@...

Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2011 11:30 AM

100-plus

Subject: Re: [Mindful i Mouse] Working Towards a Resolve

I can’t tell you how many times I have felt angry and resentful that my husband cheats and eats in front of me, all the crab I say no to. Yet, in the end, I have lost 86 pounds, he has lost 40 in the same amount of time.

My hunny doesn't even try to lose weight, other than he *does* exercise and he does like to talk the talk about eating right. He just eats too much IMHO and his exercise is sporadic. Not always daily, but probably averages out to 3-4 times a week.In the past 6-6.5 years that I have been doing this and struggling mentally, physically and with the just plain laziness I can fall into, I have lost/kept off 29 lbs... he has lost nothing. I get frustrated with the "lectures" that he can give me: eat this/not that, etc and I am like "when you are doing all of this and losing weight, you can talk to me about dieting, otherwise, leave me alone" - I am doing something about it....Plbbbbbt