Losing weight

[Ree]

Um, well if I don't lose weight then I kinda lose my job.

Oh. Makes sense.

That wasn't very clear from your post, but I understand now.

[IDrinkaRum]

Mr. Rum has officially been on his "life style change" since January 1, 2010. He's lost 72 pounds. However, he sorta kinda started it back on November 1, so if you count that last 2 months of 2009, he's lost 82 pounds.

He's now sniping at me about losing weight.

I'm right under the 300 pounds mark. Yes, I know, I'm bad.

I have to loose about 150 pounds to get to the high end of the "ideal weight" for my height.

Mr. Rum has had his old bike tuned up and had some new items put on it. We also bought me an adult tricycle. (Don't look at me like that, I have balance issues with 2 wheelers. )

But yeah ... the only time I've really lost a good amount of weight is when I was on the Slim Fast diet. (Where you drink shakes/eat meal bars and have snack stuff 3 times a day and a "sensible" dinner in the evening).

Good luck to y'all. I'll try, but I can't promise anything for myself.

[Ree]

The really hard part about losing weight, especially if a person has a food addiction or other eating disorders, or is a stress eater, is that people have to eat to live.

I realize it's all about choosing the right foods and maintaining and getting lots of physical activity, but when a person already has wonky views about food, that becomes a challenge.

An alcoholic or drug addict has to avoid the booze or drugs in order to beat the addiction, but a person can't simply stop eating.
That trigger for their addiction is always present.

[lupo pazzesco]

Ree is right, but another think to consider is cost of healthy living, too. I mean, I KNOW what foods to choose, even though I'm an emotional eater, I know what's good for me, and what to limit.

However, the boneless skinless chicken breasts that are leaner and better for you? They're more expensive than the cheapy steaks or chicken thighs/drumsticks. Ground turkey is more expensive than ground beef. Fresh fruits and veggies can get really pricey. Whole wheat/whole grain bread is more expensive than basic white sandwich bread or rolls.

And the list goes on. When you're on a tight budget, mac n cheese and ramen may not be the healthiest choices you have, but if it's that or starve, then bring on the calories.

As for the physical activity, that's not always easy to get, either. Joining a gym can be pricey, and often, at least for me, it feels like there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done!

I sound really whiny. Sorry about that. Sometimes, despite what I've accomplished, I feel as though the world is against me trying to lose weight and get healthy. Or rather, circumstances aren't conducive to such, does that make sense?

My name is Lupo. And I'm addicted to cheesecake... >.>

[AdminAssistant]

SO and I are both on a kick to lose weight (I'm at 210 lbs, and he's at 300lbs.) I just had bloodwork done (still trying to figure out why I've had a constant headache for 3 weeks), and my cholesterol/lipids were out of whack (some numbers too high, others too low). And both of us have high blood pressure issues.

[Hobbs]

Oh. Makes sense.

That wasn't very clear from your post, but I understand now.

Also, when I started I was overweight. Only by 20-25 pounds, but still a significant weight loss.

[jackfaire]

I eat healthy but I don't exercise as much as I should. I am planning on cleaning my mom's living room so that I can use my mom's Wii Fit.

[crashhelmet]

I hate having to lose weight only because I hate it when I gain it. Right now, I'm fluctuating around 170, which isn't actually bad for me. My fighting weight has always been 165 and I've got another 6 weeks before the tournament season starts.

2 months ago, however, I was 190.

I always put a little weight on in the winter, but this year I ballooned. My last measurement was 23% body fat, which for me, is horrible. I get another eval this weekend, so we'll see how much of that 20 pounds I dropped was fat. I completely changed my diet and eating habits this off-season, so I'm curious how it will turn out. I know I've put on muscle, but I'm more concerned with the body fat.

I started working with a trainer to get some extra help with my knees (part of the reason I ballooned) and he's got me eating 5 times a day, on a strict allowance of how much of what types of food I'm allowed to eat. 5 proteins, 5 vegetables, no more than 2 carbs, and 0 fats. It's a hell of a lot tougher than it sounds.

It all comes down to cardio tho. Cardio is what really burns the fat and drops the weight. For those of you that are heavier, I'd recommend an exercise bike or an elliptical machine. They're great for cardio with little to no impact on your knees, ankles, and hips.

CH

[Teysa]

My hubby was recently diagnosed with diabetes so I've been trying to fix healthier meals for the two of us. If you can catch stuff on sale, it's not that bad. I've been slowly replacing ground beef with ground turkey. My store recently had a really good deal so I stocked up and put it in the freezer. We both love spaghetti which of course is absolutely horrible if you're diabetic. Last night I fixed that for dinner but I used whole grain pasta which was the same price as the regular pasta and very lean ground turkey. I even found some fairly tasty sugar free dressing for the salad I had with it. That was kind of pricey, but it will still last a while since neither one of us glop the dressing on. Anyways, it was a very tasty, filling dinner and neither one of us felt like we were giving anything up. Now to find an acceptable substitute for potatoes.

What's really annoying is the turkey has been losing weight like crazy and I swear he's just giving it all to me. He doesn't even exercise that much. I'm at work in a decidedly non-sedentary job where I don't even have time to take a break more often than not yet my weight refuses to budge. It's not that I eat all the time either. The fact that I'm a shorty doesn't help since that just means there's no place for the weight to go.

By the way, I've been seriously looking at one of those adult tricycles too. Balance? What balance?

[Giggle Goose]

Now to find an acceptable substitute for potatoes.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/low...flowermash.htm

Have you tried mashed cauliflower before? It's a bit different but it's fun to experiment with and doesn't taste that much different than mashed potatoes. I add in a teensy bit of regular instant mashed potatoes to give it a better texture.

[muses_nightmare]

As for healthy stuff being more expensive, it can be for a lot of it yes, but depending on where you live fruits and veggies can be fairly inexpensive. I mean I can usually get 6 carrots or so for under $2, sometimes under $1. So long as you aren' t buying those baby carrots. Check out local farm markets, or fruit stands if you have any near you. Also frozen vegetables are just as healthy as fresh, and when they go on sale they can be relatively inexpensive.

Just don't fall for the whole "organic" crap. Seriously, that's what will end up costing you. Sorry but I'd rather pay $0.69/lb for my apples than $2.00/lb or whatever ridiculous price it is. If you really want organic grow it yourself.

Whole grain breads do tend to be expensive unfortunatly. And personally I find them kind of gross, especially the ones with seeds (ick!). Unless it's toast or crusty french bread it shouldn't be crunchy! I do like to make wraps, and whole wheat wraps generally taste the same as the white ones to me.

If you wait until things are on sale then buy them to freeze (meats mostly, and bread too I suppose) It's a lot easier. Look for those boxes of frozen chicken breasts, they put those on sale quite often.

Now...if I only would follow my own advice. Or at least get the boyfriend to stop buying junk.

[blas87]

Pffft. Four apples cost more than a bag of 40 pizza rolls.

A bunch of bananas costs about the same as a two pack of Hot Pockets.

See why people on a budget don't eat right?

My biggest thing is the damn plateaus. I joined a gym and was toning up and while I wasn't losing weight, I was thinning out and looking more in shape, but for some reason, my body got too used to it or I did something wrong and now all of a sudden, I'm up to almost 140 lbs. I'm at 120 at my healthiest, so this really, really bothers me.

[NorthernZel]

I gotta start some "lifestyle changes" myself too - I need to lose approx. 70-80 pounds to get to the high end of my ideal weight.

I'm planning to follow the "Baby Steps" programme designed by a famous nutrician over here, which consists in adding healthy habits one at a time - for instance, first you begin drinking diet soda instead of regular soda, once you get used to that you eat wholegrain bread instead of white bread, once you get used to that you take the stairs instead of the elevators, and so on and so on.

[muses_nightmare]

Four apples cost more than a bag of 40 pizza rolls.

A bunch of bananas costs about the same as a two pack of Hot Pockets.

Wow I don't know where you live but here you can get apples for $0.59 - $0.99/lb, and bananas are anywhere between $0.77 - 0.66/lb.

So I don't really have the excuse that it's cheaper to buy the unhealthy stuff, because a lot of the time it's not. Though, in my hometown, things aren't as cheap because it's a bit more remote, but $0.99/lb is pretty average for apples in the grocery stores.

I do miss the fruit stands in the Okanagan though. Fresh right off the tree fruit. *drools* Good prices too.

[blas87]

That's Wal-Marts prices for fruits.

Granted, I buy more fruit than what one person living alone normally would, but that's pretty sad considering it's even more than that at the grocery store and Wal-Mart is cheapest.

I didn't even do the babysteps from soda. I just quit. I use soda as a "treat". I can have a soda at the movies on the weekend or for a beverage at a restaurant if I'm out to dinner on a Friday night, but as a general rule, I keep it the hell out of my home and do my best to never drink it at work.

I actually really don't miss it that much. I feel less bloated and gassy. Of course, I was a heavy Dr. Pepper drinker before, and that's probably why I was always such a leaky balloon with it.