[wlcross]

Waking up to this thread was a great motivator even though I feel like I'm starving.

[patbruck]

I am with you, Melinda! My ultimate goal is a size 6-8, but sometimes I question whether or not I have the bone structure to allow it. The smallest I have been was a size 10 so I'm guessing that is attainable at least (although that was before childbirth ). I can lose the fat, but can't change how big my bones are, kwim?

As of today I am down 30 pounds since late August. 30 pounds in four months. When I started I was a size 18 and those were tight (well more like a 20 in denial I guess) and now I can wear size 14 stuff. I am really looking forward to getting down to a 12 because I have sooooo much stuff in that size boxed up just waiting to be worn again. I am not doing anything difficult, complicated or impossible to stick with - just making better choices when it comes to food and exercise. At the end of the day calories in must be less than calories out. Fruit and oatmeal is a lot easier to burn off than IHOP for breakfast, and that is basically how I look at everything. If I want to "splurge" I need to either cut back on something else, increase my activity or accept that I may not put up as good of a number as I want to that week.

[danielephant]

yeah i would love to get into an 8 again, but i will settle for a 10 right now...short term goals!

[danielephant]

and that is GREAT BTW!!!!!!!!

[xmaspickle]

I bet every single one of you can get into your goal sizes..i KNOW how far the dream feels..really I do..I lost from a tight 14 to a 2, yes a 2..in high school I was always the big boned gal, the one who was built like mom, the one last picked for any athletic team, etc.. the one cute if you'd lose a little weight..

and I have 3 kids..and gained 60 lbs with the first one...and they thought he was twins for a while..but no, I just carry an abnormal amount of amniotic fluid...and after 3 kids I had even more weight on me...

then someone at our church (actually 2 someones) had lost a lot of weight with an eating plan (not diet..long life plan) and I wanted whatever they were having..they started the program "prism" at our church..and I lost from a 14-2..I had NEVER been a 2..NEVER set that as a goal..but I had so much energy I was flying off the roof every day and added more exercise, more snacks, etc..I was an eating machine...BUT ONLY healthy stuff..I can honestly tell you there wasn't anything processed in my body for about a year...I stayed at a 2/4 for several years but slowly insidiously..with my husband's work stress, new house with quadruple mortgage payments, pay cuts, me starting to work 2 jobs, etc..everyone got time but me..so no time to exercise..no time to prep healthy foods, etc..and of course, the downward spiral kept on...

and I had tried to get back in the groove but no luck..this year was my year to do what I knew to be true...so I just joined the biggestloserclub as they promote the EXACT same types of food as what took it off before..same thing Gilad, richard simmons, bob greene, jillian, all the "real" advice give you...cut back on fried foods, whole fat things, white flour, sugar, etc..UP fresh anything, low fat dairy, any lean meats, whole grain anything, etc...simple, simple advice..

and I bet your thin bodies emerge from the layers..I found a body the first time around I had never seen nor experienced (that was after 9lb babies)...I bet your bones aren't as big as you think..true your hips might have spread..but us women are soooo good at storing weight on our hips and thighs..and when you take each layer of weight off..it comes off there too..you don't get to change your body's overall shape though..I'm a pear..I can be a size 16 pear..or a size 2 pear..but still a pear..no matter what size..my breasts are miniscule..my butt ginormous..my knees are still chubby and my upper arms are still the part that will get stuck in a blouse...so no miracles..I don't get to be taller, bigger breasted, my thighs don't change shape..just thinner versions of the same thing....so I take what i can get and run with it

and PATBRUCK 30 lbs.is very significant..that's huge and awesome....and mrspayne..1 # a week is absolutely wonderful..may not be the giant numbers all of us have been hyped to want..but that is slow enough it tells me you aren't starving yourself (which works about one day before we go berserk and give up), it tells me your body will have time to adapt to the weight loss so your skin will stand a chance at not pouching up all over, is realistic for long term....and as long as you never gain it back you're headed in the right direction...it takes a long time to gain and keep the weight..it takes a long time to take it off and keep it off...best bet is to change up your menu plans (forever)...find new lower cal/fat ways to make your favorites..so month after month you use this recipe over that..when you head to your favorite restaurant you find a new pick, etc..find new strategies for snacking..so you support that weight loss..

and better yet..you're teaching the young ones in the family to eat more fruit & veggies, to exercise more, better cooking methods..believe me they are watching..mine are teens/college..and when I had lost the weight before even when I gained back I still had many of the good habits, the fresh veggies, the non stick cookware cooking in no oil, using olive oil instead of butter for breads, skim milk, natural sweeteners..soooooo my kids naturally gravitate to healthy foods..they are all stirfry, tofu eaters, homemade soy milk drinkers, shun most salad dressings, love barley, quinoa, whole grain polentas, etc...given a choice they will pick the healthy stuff without me looking...so even though, I may have weight issues..no one else in the family ever will..and that is a gift you can give your family...

so you guys keep keeping on...and anyone new that picks up on this thread..YOU DO NOT have to wait until new years to start something..today is a good day..today YOU can choose how you will live..TODAY you can choose to learn a new cooking method, try a new food, actually do the exercise you put off, YOU can take your kids skating (and sometimes surprise the heck out of them as many are used to us being the slower, decline offers of sports..suggest something and watch their eyes light up)...so TODAY make it a good day..and I promise..that you will mentally feel better..we all have all the info we need..we just need to implement what we actually know..we all (me included) read all the articles about weight loss, info on the newest supplement, alli, or whatever hoping there is something easier and faster than actually working out and cutting calories...and NO there isn't ...but people making money off from you sure want you to think so....

so go have a good day! make it the best life you can...

[susan_t6]

Yesterday I had my first day of orientation at work. It is amazing how being at work can help me not eat. I had a bowl of rice chex for breakfast. Then at work water and coffee was free so I had water. I took my lunch which was a bagel with turkey and a banana, a sprite zero. Right before lunch they gave us vouchers to eat in the cafeteria. I choose a salad and two glasses of water. For dinner I had a small helping for dinner and a salad and water. I feel good about what I ate and didn't eat yesterday.

[danielephant]

great job...yeah the whole staying at home thing made me gain after having my baby! LOL...sit and breast feed while stuffing my own face! LOL

[danielephant]

how was the holiday food for everyone? I was not too tempted at all to eat dessert, I did have 2 chocolate covered oreos, and we had prime rib for christmas eve dinner, but i did not eat too much of it and christmas day it was a bit of everything in small portions...

today i had Qudoba...WOOPS!----

but my MIL made a great point that if you are working hard and losing weight you are not going to let yourself give up that easy...and especially if you are doing it for you...and no one else, and I am doing this for me, and I am holding my self pretty good---For the most part

[nattsgirl]

man, I missed this! You should do another one, .

[susan_t6]

I'm officially frustrated!! I have cut down on my eating. Eating better, smaller portions, drinking more water and working out more. Have even started to run on the treadmill instead of walking. Can only last a couple of minutes running but I am doing it. I feel good but have gained 4 lbs. I don't get it. What else can I do??

[patbruck]

I hear you, Susan. I think i'm going to gain this week (sob). I did a ton of holiday baking these past few weeks and think it's finally catching up with me. I did eat too much on Christmas Eve and I'm not even going to go there. What's done is done.

Sometimes my body gets into a "rut" and I really need to shake things up to see numbers again. Or I have heard that some women say their cycle affects weight loss too. You feel good and that is truly all that matters. The weight doesn't always come off when we want/expect it to but if you stay consistent, it will come off eventually. Keep pushing yourself to work harder and make better food choices and the results will show.

[patbruck]

Can i just say that i am soo relieved that the holidays are over! I love baking but having all those cookies around just got to be so tempting! I suprised myself and did not eat nearly as much as I have in previous years, but will admit that i had some "moments"

And it's not just the temptation to eat- I hate how the holidays mess with my "routine". I am a creature of habit, and that really helps keep me on track. when the gym is closed for Christmas, or i have a zillion things to do and can't get there till night-time, I get frustrated. Plus I make most of my own meals, so eating at other people's homes makes calorie counting a challenge. I am ok with a meal here, a meal there, but when you eat away from home for basically two days straight? forget it! Fortunately Christmas only comes once a year...and if the worst thing I do is indulge once a year, I think I can live with that

[danielephant]

how is the results so far? anyone know?

[mpayne]

Well I haven't done very well with my eating, but not horribly either. I did do a 2-mile power walk tonight (Walk Away the Pounds). And had healthy snacks today. I don't think the scales are gonna be nice to me, though. Will see on Monday!

[mpayne]

I think patbruck is still in the lead. I am on a different computer now but will check tomorrow.

If anyone hasn't sent me weigh-ins, get them to me please!

[mpayne]

danielephant is in the lead now with 4.4% lost!

patburck is right behind with 3.9% lost!

One more week - let's do this thing ladies!!!

[mpayne]

I'm officially frustrated!! I have cut down on my eating. Eating better, smaller portions, drinking more water and working out more. Have even started to run on the treadmill instead of walking. Can only last a couple of minutes running but I am doing it. I feel good but have gained 4 lbs. I don't get it. What else can I do??

Susan, when you exercise you retain fluid. So don't be discouraged!!! Also, a pound of muscle is more dense than a pound of fat - so you could actually gain muscle and the scale would go up - but this is a good thing!

Are your clothes fitting better? Do you FEEL better? That's what you should go by if the scale isn't moving (or is moving the wrong direction)

[susan_t6]

Originally Posted by mpayne

Susan, when you exercise you retain fluid. So don't be discouraged!!! Also, a pound of muscle is more dense than a pound of fat - so you could actually gain muscle and the scale would go up - but this is a good thing!

Are your clothes fitting better? Do you FEEL better? That's what you should go by if the scale isn't moving (or is moving the wrong direction)

Yeah, some of my clothes are fitting better. I also feel better. More energy and when I go to work out it it seems to go easier each time. That is why I started running on the treadmill and put an incline on there. This week my DH has off of work so I am going to make an appt. with the personal trainer at the gym and have him help me change up what I am doing. Maybe that will help as well.

Congrats to those who are losing keep it up!!

[patbruck]

final weigh in today! eeek! I only lost one pound this week, but a loss is still a loss (and I didn't gain, as I feared I would).

[alice14523]

Well, once again I'm a "day late and dollar short". Don't think I can loose 10 by Thursday but it is possible. I have been on every diet imaginable but the best one for me is Weight Watchers. I started, once again, yesterday to loose. I need to get rid of about 15-20 lbs. Is considered exercise?

[mpayne]

Well, thanks to the holiday, I only lost 1.4%. But that's 1.4% I'm not carrying anymore! It's a good thing to get a head start on the New Years Resolution, anyway.

patbruck - you did GREAT! Lost 4.3% of your starting weight!!!

Still waiting for everyone else's weigh-ins for today to see who our Biggest Loser was.

Let's keep it going for the new year - who's in??

[mpayne]

Alice, can you read on the treadmill? (some people can't) I do and so yes, it counts!!

[alice14523]

Originally Posted by mpayne

Alice, can you read on the treadmill? (some people can't) I do and so yes, it counts!!

OMG! I have never tried it but will now that you mentioned it. I cannot read why riding in high altitudes. Makes me car sick. Doesn't bother me on flat land. Weird huh? My Norditrack is going to get back to work.

[mpayne]

Good luck! I can't read in the car, but I can on a plane.

I find the time flies by when I take a good book, or even a magazine, on the treadmill with me!

[patbruck]

if you can't read on the treadmill, you can listen to a book. download them to your mp3 player or if you're cheap like me and have a portable cd player, you can borrow from the library. if you don't like the idea of headphones and are at home, you can just play it on a boom-box (if the rest of your household doesn't mind listening too, of course).

I came just shy of the ten pound "goal" (but hey I *technically* have till New Years day, right? I will weigh again on Wednesday and keep you posted, even though it's not part of the "official" contest ) and lost 9.4 pounds. It's not super impressive (aren't I the overachiever) but considering the holidays, I am very pleased. Plus I can't wait to beat it next month!!!