Weight Loss/Maintenance
Related: About this forumAnybody else looking to lose weight this year?
Or, already in the process and want to share experiences?
I lost 40 lbs from August 2010 to May 2011. I wanted to turn 60 not feeling like an old frump, so I figured it would help to get me back in the 130's which was a comfortable and healthy weight for me at 5'4". I stayed there for a couple of years before the weight started coming back. I would lose some, but the trend line on the graph was definitely up.
In the last year or so I've tried adjusting my eating behavior a number of times and would get as far as losing 7-8 lbs over a couple of weeks and then go right back to bad habits.
I'm now at the point where I MUST adjust my eating behavior. Permanently. I need to lose 60 lbs now. I know all the stuff I need to do: cut the carbs, reduce red meat consumption, cut the sugars, cut WAY back on alcohol, increase veggie consumption, and drink a lot more water. I decided I would try Noom, so I have signed up and paid for a 6 month membership.
Anybody else want to join in?
The Velveteen Ocelot
(120,813 posts)Let us know how Noom works. I see ads for it on TV but I'm not sure exactly what it is.
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)Noom encourages daily weighing. It also encourages keeping a food log (which I've done). There are coaches who help you and eventually I guess they put me in a group of others in a similar situation so we can encourage and support each other. Having the personal coach is something I haven't experienced previously. So, we'll see.
Phoenix61
(17,641 posts)and am looking decidedly frumpy. I know what I need to do, just need to do it. The best Ive ever looked or felt is when I was doing yoga 4 days a week. I gained a lot of muscle so I could pretty much eat whatever I wanted. If I use my neck traction machine I can do yoga but....the lazies are a terrible thing.
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)and now with my knee replacement that's never been right, getting up/down from the floor is a real challenge. I like to swim, but don't as often as I should. My dog used to make sure I spent over an hour a day walking her, but she has joint issues now because of her age and doesn't like to walk as far or as fast as she used to.
Yes, the lazies are not helpful for weight management.
ProudMNDemocrat
(19,058 posts)Currently 5 pounds under my WW goal weight. Re-earned my WW Lifetime member benefits July of 2014 after losing 53 pounds starting 13 months prior in 2013. Starting weight in 2013 was 207. CW...150
I have had fluctuations over the years wirh 5 road trips and 2 long International trips. All keeping within or under my goal. The knowledge I gained has helped me all these years.
Being Gluten and Lactose intolerant, I work in a Keto plan within my Weight Watchers points. This gives me flexibility to have on ocassion wine or a brew without too much intolerance.
Find what works for you. I make sure I get to 2 WW meetings a month to keep in touch with changes, recipes, the people.
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)The key is finding what works for each of us individually. I have never tried WW because I am not a "go to meeting" kind of person. It does help to have a community of supporters--which I had on-line when I lost the weight from 2010-11--but I've lost touch with many of them over time for a variety of reasons, even though quite a few of us ended up getting together in person because we shared so much while we were all losing weight.
MuseRider
(34,364 posts)but once I got sick I pushed the limits. I know I feel best at around 105 but will never see that again. I bloomed up to around 150, am 5'2''. Trending back down since my GI issues seem to have calmed and I can eat fruits and veggies again, at least a little. I am slowly moving down. I have been on so many diets, heck female and never satisfied. The only diet I was ever on that lasted until I went back to school was Weight Watchers. I am thinking I will get out my old book again and try to do it as a mostly vegetarian.
I do not want to join anything but would sure like to be part of a group here that can be supportive. I have a lot of support to give having been through this awful GI condition and come back out but overweight.
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)and maybe I didn't make that clear. I really wanted to ask if anyone else wanted to join in losing weight. There are lots of ways to do it and since everybody is different, there could be many of us with the same goal, but choose different ways to get there.
I am hopeful we can keep this thread going for a while and let people check in and tell us how it is going for them.
MuseRider
(34,364 posts)I did not feel like you wanted us to all join up, you just mentioned it. I find if I do not have support it is hard for me to drop the pounds. Every once in a while I need an "atta girl" and this would be a great place for that.
Bayard
(24,145 posts)I've gained that much in the past 5 years. Most of my life I was on the seefood diet--I see food, I eat it. Never gained weight, never looked my age, was fit and active till I hit my 50's. Then life landed with a vengeance. Lost my fitness....arthritis set up in various old broken bones, asthma worsened, yada yada. Big sugar addiction. Stress out of control (till I moved back to KY). I still probably walk a mile or two a day just doing farm chores, and can still throw around 50 lb bales of hay.
I think I lost at least 5 lbs when I had a whopping case of food poisoning a few weeks ago. I don't recommend that diet plan. I cut sugar pretty much, until the husband came back from his folks with a ton of xmas cookies and chocolates. Resistance is futile. He REALLY needs to lose a bunch of weight......high blood pressure and needs both knees replaced. His diet is horrendous.
I don't eat beef, actually, not that much meat at all. Don't drink alcohol. Eat a goodly amount of fruit.
Getting old (62) sucks. I want my body back.
Aging sucks! I have had 3 joint replacements and my one remaining knee is hollering at me to give it a rest. Lose the weight. I may end up having to replace the second knee, but I sure hope to put it off as long as possible. It's arthritis. Genetic. My mother had a hip replacement; her brother had two hips replaced; my brother has had both hips replaced.
I was like you when I was young. Ate pretty much what I wanted. Lost the pregnancy weight after both boys were born without too much struggle. Challenges in my marriage started to appear about 15 years ago and that's when I started gaining weight. When our house burned down, I started having a cocktail or glass or two of wine every night when I was fixing dinner. And I was so busy dealing with the aftermath of losing everything--while my youngest son was in his senior year in high school-- that I just threw together whatever dinner was easy every night. Lots of potatoes, pasta, and rice started appearing on our plates, along with fried chicken and hamburgers.
I want my body back, too!
mopinko
(71,797 posts)i'm not but have a dear friend who is pretty obese. she also has a lot of emotional issues that she isnt dealing w.
i'm trying to convince her to try noom, because it is basically cognitive behavioral therapy training wrapped around food. it is the only type of emotional therapy that has a track record, and it is a good one. she needs that more than she needs to be skinny.
i will add to that, tho, that i recently started taking a strong probiotic for my gut issues, along w a fiber supplement. the pain was gone in a couple of days, and my bowel function calmed down w/in a week or so.
it's been 3 mos. i lost 10 lbs, w/o changing my eating habits at all. i didnt have a lot to lose. i have only every been about 40 lb over, and i was only about 15 over ideal when i started, so it isnt exactly low hanging fruit.
also, my stubborn bad cholesterol is now perfect.
lots of science behind gut biome, and a lot of research coming to fruition. been watching this issue for 20 years, as i have a kid w chron's.
i think it is helping my mood, also.
good luck.
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)because of its design intended to change behavior regarding food.
At the time I lost the weight in 2010-11, I had made the decision not to separate from my husband, to build a house to replace the one that had burned down in 2007, and to approach my life with a new attitude. But the new body and the new house didn't change the issues with my husband, and eventually I went right back to the same emotional dependence upon food and alcohol to make me feel as though I could have what I wanted.
The husband is now gone (I'm widowed, not divorced) and the house that I didn't really want was sold last year. I have another opportunity to reinvent myself and if not now, when?
Good luck to you, too, with the probiotic.
leftieNanner
(15,689 posts)After joining Weight Watchers three times, and losing the same 25 pounds three times, (with a nasty GI challenge in the middle) I finally realized that it has to be a lifetime change of eating habits. I have a terrible sugar addiction (exacerbated by the current political climate) so I had to make a radical change. At the end of August, I cut out carbs almost entirely. I've lost 17 lbs so far. Go to the gym three days a week. Good luck on your journey. I'm still on it myself!
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)For me, I have to cut daily alcohol consumption (which has been made worse by the current political climate) and stay away from the carbs that are so appealing. Especially pasta. And chocolate. Oh, I do love chocolate. It's going to be a challenge. I think I'm ready for it.
Good luck as you continue with your journey!
leftieNanner
(15,689 posts)I have gotten in the habit of having a glass of wine (or two) every night! I still have a glass every now and again, but not every night. And I have battled my sweet tooth by having a bowl of sugar free hard candies in the living room. I frequently have a hard peppermint and a hard caramel at the same time. Nice combo! But it keeps me from indulging in CHOCOLATES! If it's not in the house, then I can't eat it.
For the pasta, try some zucchini pasta with delicious sauce on it. My grocery store sells it already cut, or you can thin cut it yourself. You can also get spiral cut squash that works as pasta too.
I used to have an egg and toast every morning. Now I have an egg (fried or hard boiled) on a bed of greens - often arugula - along with other cut veggies. It's very satisfying (I am a bit of a salad freak) and it keeps me from getting hungry mid-morning.
Good luck on your journey as well.
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)and probably buy a spiral slicer so I can do my own.
Found two interesting recipes on-line: one for teriyaki chicken and one for garlic butter shrimp.
https://damndelicious.net/2017/07/11/teriyaki-chicken-zucchini-noodles/
https://damndelicious.net/2019/05/08/garlic-butter-shrimp-zucchini-noodles/
Freddie
(9,691 posts)Ive been losing and gaining back the same 20 lbs (and need to lose about 50 more) for the last 7 years. I do great for 6 months and then I start feeling sorry for myself and the dam breaks and I eat whatever I damn well please. Over and over. Im 63, maybe Im just too old to change.
Ive had luck with Weight Watchers before but hated the new Freestyle program (which took away the foods I like!) and quit. Now theyre giving you the choice to go back to the old way and Im going to try again.
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)The idea of going to meetings doesn't appeal to me, but making an on-line connection with others is something I did previously when I lost weight.
Do try WW again! Check in and share how it's going.
leftieNanner
(15,689 posts)But we moved to a new community and all of the meetings are run by the same woman and her method just doesn't work for me.
The big point they make is that this is a whole lifestyle change that we need to keep up for ever. I've lost the same 25 pounds multiple times too. I'm planning on keeping them off this time - once I reach that goal!
Good luck to you.
Freddie
(9,691 posts)No in-person meetings unless you prefer that.
What I liked about WW is that its balanced. I know the thing is to give up carbs and that would be taking away ALL the foods I like! Could do it for a couple weeks but not for long. WW lets you have the foods you like, just in limited quantities.
phylny
(8,584 posts)I have successfully lost 30 pounds during the year, and although it has been slow, it's been successful. There is so much that I could write about what I have learned, but the highlights are that I was insulin resistant and prediabetic, so he put me on Metformin. I am restricting my carbs to no more than 50, although I'm generally eating no more than about 30. I am doing 16:8 intermittent fasting.
The most important thing about weight loss that I have learned is that when you stall or have a plateau, keep working on it and don't give up. Your body is going to need to "reset" itself to a new normal. The reason why the people on "The Biggest Loser" almost all gained all their weight back is that they were not permitted to have plateaus.
I did do Weight Watchers for many years but the weight always came back. For *me*, it wasn't a good option. For *me*, carbs are not my friends. YMMV.
Good luck!
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)and I've lost 3.4 lbs. Not a bad start.
The app has a pedometer which will monitor your steps, so no need for a separate device to do that as long as I carry my phone with me. I do need to get more exercise. Used to be that walking my dog 3x/day would result in over an hour of walking, but since she has aged she usually doesn't want to walk as long anymore. With the cooler weather, she has been willing to go a bit farther on all three walks, so I'm up to 6500 steps just with dog walking and routine activity. I may have to get myself to the gym upstairs to do the rest of my steps up to 10,000/day if I can't work her up to another 5-10 minutes on each walk.
I have been logging my food daily and not had any trouble staying under 1200 calories.
I'm using veggies and fruit for snacks in the evening.
How is anyone else doing?
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)and down 5.2 lbs total, in spite of a major slip and drinking a whole bottle of wine over the weekend.
Anybody else?
Algernon Moncrieff
(5,936 posts)I've lost 90+ lbs since March 2019 on the Oprah Plan (WW). My challenge this year - not gain it back.
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)I'm now at the end of 4 weeks and down 7 lbs.
Went through a rough patch 10-15 days ago and completely blew the program for several days running. Back on track. I know it's going to be harder at my age to lose weight, so I'm pleased with my loss so far.
Algernon Moncrieff
(5,936 posts).. or maybe I should say "keep it down."
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)TuxedoKat
(3,821 posts)I just saw this post! I would like to join you. I have been doing low carb for the past six weeks or so and have lost about five pounds. Ive been using an app called Carb Manager. Its very helpful to see how many carbs are in what you eat. A few years ago in the spring I did low carb combined with walking 3-4 miles a day. The weight started to come off fairly quickly but then I had some surgery and was not supposed to exercise for six weeks. Slowly I gained the weight back. Anyway would love to check in with you on a more regular basis.
TK (your Xmas card buddy)
Good for you!
I'd been meaning to post again on my progress. I'm down 10 lbs in 6 weeks as of two days ago. Still using Noom. Logging meals every day using their app. Limited to 1200 calories. Some days I blow right through that number, but by and large I am able to stick to that most days. Learning a lot from their daily app lessons about nutrition and how and why we make the food choices we do. The intent is not "dieting", but changing behavior regarding food. It's not easy to change habits at my age!
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)I'm feeling pretty comfortable with the Noom app, although I find myself getting behind on the "lessons".
I'm definitely eating a lot more fruit and vegetables. Found that by eating what would normally be dinner for lunch and something lighter for dinner, I often feel full more of the day and through the evening. My favorite snacks are now frozen grapes or celery sticks with 2 tablespoons of hummus.
mnhtnbb
(32,059 posts)A week from today I leave for a 2 week birthday trip to my favorite island spot. Planning how to approach eating out for that long. I will have a microwave and small fridge in my room, so I'm going to bring a plastic container for dividing meal portions served in restaurants to bring back and count for a second meal. Going to bring some protein bars for occasional lunch.
My goal is not to gain anything during those 2 weeks and if I lose anything I will be thrilled.
How is everyone else doing?
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