Biggest loser

[runsandjumps]

I usually watch this show a few days late and on my iPhone after the kids are asleep.

Well I watched the finale last night and my kids weren't in bed yet- I know tsk tsk.

But my oldest saw the before and after of some of the contestants and he said something that both inspired and saddened me.

When the eventual winner stepped out he was shocked and in awe of their new found physique.

He said: Mom, why don't you look like that?

I told him it wasn't that simple. They go away from their lives to restart them. They exercise six hours a day and eat only one serving. They don't eat carbs or sugar.

And you know what I know I could achieve similar results I just don't have the support or the self control to do it. I don't have the will power to bake my husband fresh bread three times a week and not eat any. I can't seem to control myself when my daughter and I whip up banana bread.
I think if it was just me I could adopt a different lifestyle. I don't know how anyone does it. My husband absolutely refuses to reduce his carb and meat intake.

Give me something to work with. Should I just give it up and stare at my family while the savor my creations ( disclaimer: I love my newish kitchen aid)

Anyone else feel like this show inspires but also makes you feel less than?

 

[dburg30]

First off re: the finale show.. I did NOT like danni's new look.. at all..

Anywho... onto your story / question.

Not having family support, especially from a spouse makes it much harder. But not impossible. And you do NOT have to give up meat.

I guess to be as blunt as I usually am.. not meaning to sound harsh but... Are you going to make excuses or changes? Really it comes down to that.

The worst is when family members not only dont get on board and try to make changes, but actually try to sabotage the person trying to make changes.. Once they start seeing how happy and healthy you are getting, they can get jealous and pretty mean spirited.

It would be more work, but it does sound like you would have some support at least in your oldest child! It would involve basically making yourself (and maybe the children) one thing, and your spouse another.. If you get lucky, they will 'get it' and maybe get on board at least maybe with the eating part if nothing else. But any nutrition / exercise program will require some time for YOU!!! You can do a lot if done properly though in 30 minutes - 45 minutes exercise wise, plus your food prep..

And you dont HAVE to give up all your savory creations.. But you will need to curb back on them or save them for one day a week or a couple of meals, with proper portion control..

 

[runsandjumps]

I have the exercise part down. We joined the Y. My oldest is good for running with me. My younger two like salads.

You are so right about my husband getting in my way. I don't think it's jealousy ( for the most part). I think it's that he doesn't think you need to make drastic changes you just need to exercise and eat a little better. He is one of those people that thinks he knows best and anyone else's ideas are ridiculous.

You could have a PhD in sports medicine and be a 20 time ironman who has trained hundreds of thousands and my DH would still think he knows better. There is a word for how he makes me feel, but so many are rushing through my mind I can't even think of it right now.

 

[Rose&Mike]

OP, I get what you are saying, but if you want to lose weight and get in better shape, then get on the band wagon and drag your family along with you. If you can't get rid of the fresh bread, etc then get some books and read about portion control and the slow food movement. If there is a food that is your absolute downfall that you just can't deal with, then tell your family that you support them, and they need to support you by not having xxxx in the house until you feel in better control. Look at plans like weight watchers which allow you to eat "normal" food in the proper healthy portions.

Tell your husband that it is not doing you, your kids, or him any good for you to be at an unhealthy weight.

I bet once you get started your kids will be your cheerleaders and celebrate every pound lost with you.

It is hard. Really hard sometimes. But it is so worth it.

And you can make amazing food that is healthy and creative. Get on pinterest and start searching for healthy alternatives to your favorites. There is nothing that says that getting healthy and losing weight has to involve eating yucky food.

Good luck!

 

[lnhstl]

Anyone else feel like this show inspires but also makes you feel less than?

This show inspires and frustrates me at the same time. One one hand, it is totally motivating to see people changing their lives and losing weight. On the other hand, I realize that they are working out 6 hours a day on 1200-1800 calories a day in a controlled environment, and there's no way I could lose that much weight in the amount of time they do.

Also, at the beginning of the show, all the women weigh more than me, but by the end they're all skinnier. I'm at about week 8, lol.

 

[Lindaland]

I can't stand this show!! It gives people a false belief that mega weight loss is just that easy. No one who has an actual life is able to sustain this level of weight loss! Most people get discouraged & give up when trying to accomplish this. It's far better to go at a slow & steady lifestyle change, rather than a quick weight loss.

 

[TorontoGirl]

I usually watch this show a few days late and on my iPhone after the kids are asleep.

Well I watched the finale last night and my kids weren't in bed yet- I know tsk tsk.

But my oldest saw the before and after of some of the contestants and he said something that both inspired and saddened me.

When the eventual winner stepped out he was shocked and in awe of their new found physique.

He said: Mom, why don't you look like that?

I told him it wasn't that simple. They go away from their lives to restart them. They exercise six hours a day and eat only one serving. They don't eat carbs or sugar.

And you know what I know I could achieve similar results I just don't have the support or the self control to do it. I don't have the will power to bake my husband fresh bread three times a week and not eat any. I can't seem to control myself when my daughter and I whip up banana bread.
I think if it was just me I could adopt a different lifestyle. I don't know how anyone does it. My husband absolutely refuses to reduce his carb and meat intake.

Give me something to work with. Should I just give it up and stare at my family while the savor my creations ( disclaimer: I love my newish kitchen aid)

Anyone else feel like this show inspires but also makes you feel less than?

I both love and hate the BL - It is inspiring but SO MANY of the contestants - even winners - do gain all if not more of the weight back - showing it is MORE than just eat better and exercise for some people...it is a mental condition that need constant addressing in everyday life.

As for changing your lifestyle - ignore your husband - I know that can be hard but you are a better person, mom and wife if you are healthy and happy - put yourself first so that you can be a better you and better for them in the end

As for the bread (banana or otherwise) I am with ya sista! I LOVE bread but I have learned to substitute to make things easier as I transition to healthy eating. Why not make Whole Grain bread for yourself and see if the kids will try it too? Look for healthier versions of banana bread - that fruit is so sweet naturally that you can find a lot of healthier versions that don't break your weekly calorie count

Good Luck and Don't Give Up!

 

[Aura of Foreboding]

I can't stand this show!! It gives people a false belief that mega weight loss is just that easy. No one who has an actual life is able to sustain this level of weight loss! Most people get discouraged & give up when trying to accomplish this. It's far better to go at a slow & steady lifestyle change, rather than a quick weight loss.

Agreed! I get so tired of posts on one of my weight loss boards that whine "I ONLY lost five pounds in the last two weeks, I don't know what I am going to do, why can't I lose weight?" Generally more than two pounds per week is not a healthy, sustainable weight loss. Slow and steady does it for me!

 

[FireDancer]

I too have a love/hate relationship with the show...or more the show's premise.

On the one hand it does contain a lot of good information and tips. I thought concentrating on childhood obesity was a much needed thing this past season.

On the other it not only speeds weight loss to unrealistic proportions but literally rewards bad behavior during some of the temptations. You are rewarded for doing exactly the behaviors that got you into that predicament. Eat the most calories and you get an advantage on the scale.

I liken it to someone in rehab getting the chance to leave a group session early if they snort the longest line of coke.

The bottom line for me though is that a lot of people need the information and the weight loss they contestants achieve on the show is completely possible in real life, just in a longer time frame. Because of that I feel the good outweighs the bad.

 

[wiigirl]

I can't stand this show!! It gives people a false belief that mega weight loss is just that easy. No one who has an actual life is able to sustain this level of weight loss! Most people get discouraged & give up when trying to accomplish this. It's far better to go at a slow & steady lifestyle change, rather than a quick weight loss.

Agreed!!!

 

[JoeKir]

I too have a love/hate relationship with the show...or more the show's premise.

On the one hand it does contain a lot of good information and tips. I thought concentrating on childhood obesity was a much needed thing this past season.

On the other it not only speeds weight loss to unrealistic proportions but literally rewards bad behavior during some of the temptations. You are rewarded for doing exactly the behaviors that got you into that predicament. Eat the most calories and you get an advantage on the scale.

I liken it to someone in rehab getting the chance to leave a group session early if they snort the longest line of coke.

The bottom line for me though is that a lot of people need the information and the weight loss they contestants achieve on the show is completely possible in real life, just in a longer time frame. Because of that I feel the good outweighs the bad.

Couldn't agree more with the love/hate of the show. It's emotional to see the changes and really glad there is a show that addresses the growing concern of obesity. That said, there is nothing healthy about how they lose weight, and many fail to keep it off. One thing that bugs me is the blatant endorsement of food products that aren't necessarily that good for you. But I understand that the reason most people get overweight is because they need an easy way to get fuel. And the healthier that is the better I guess. Either way, everyone needs to know that weight loss (or gain, depending on your goals) is a long, long journey. One with more rewards along the way than you could imagine

 

[bumbershoot]

OP, how are you doing?

Give me something to work with. Should I just give it up and stare at my family while the savor my creations ( disclaimer: I love my newish kitchen aid)

For me it has been about portion control. I can tell you the one thing I have not had since I committed to Weight Watchers; marinated artichoke hearts. That's it. I have had everything else I used to have. But not in the portions I was having, and not as often. This week I had two beers. Those are my first beers in a couple weeks, and the beer I had a couple weeks ago was my first in a month or two. I used to have a beer every night. And over time my urge to have pasta and bread has gone way way down. I didn't try to do this, it just happened.

It would be harder if I were MAKING the bread. I don't do that anymore, though, due to my allergies. Having to mix it all with a damp bandana over my nose and mouth to stave off the sneezing and asthma just isn't worth it to me.

But if I could make it, if I wanted to keep on losing and getting to and staying at my weight goal, I would have to watch my portions.

You're lucky; you make it, so you know EXACTLY what goes into it! Find a calorie counter, or if you want to do WW put it into the recipe builder, use the exact nutrition information from the exact things you use, and you know exactly how many calories are in a loaf of bread! Cut it either how you wish and take the hit of calories/points, or cut it as you wish to eat and do portion control that way.

I'm 5'3". My husband's 5'10"+ and is naturally a bigger guy. To think of him hitting the WW maximum makes even his doctor laugh out loud. It's almost certainly not going to happen. He can eat more than me. He SHOULD eat more than me. I should never ever have tried to eat the same as him. Doing so was a disaster for my body and health! Once I finally got it through to my brain that as a smaller female who was not athletic (now I'm becoming a runner again so I actually am becoming an athlete) I should not be coming anywhere NEAR what he was eating, I felt better. So he gets double the protein and more carbs at a meal than I do. I tend to have more veggies. It's how it is. It's how it has to be. So if he has two brownies that I make while I have one, that's fine. It's OK.

So if you have once slice of your awesome bread while your husband has more, that's OK. And the neat thing is, if you are modeling *serving sizes* to your children, eventually they will pick up on it. My son is extremely active and is a never-filling-stomach, but he eats in serving sizes now. Even if he's going to have 3 servings, he wants to know how many he is having. And I think that's great for his future; once he's 35 and isn't doing everything he used to do through his childhood and college and grad school and his early 30s, once things start slowing down, it will be excellent for him to draw upon this knowledge of what a serving size of pasta, of cheese, of ice cream, is.

IThere is a word for how he makes me feel, but so many are rushing through my mind I can't even think of it right now.

I am so darned sorry about that. I think you're going to have to find your path to your goals and not let him have a say in it.

I hope you're doing OK. I know this thread is old, but I'd never seen it until it bumped up today.

 

[runsandjumps]

My reply got devoured by my wifi.

Things are starting to look up after a bunch of bumps.

I would love to try WW. I will have to see what my options are.

 

[bumbershoot]

Darned wifi.

If money is an issue, there are many people who have success with doing WW online-only.

There are also people who choose to use the free MyFitnessPal. It's a calorie-counting website. SparkPeople, too.

 

[JoeKir]

DW and I use MyFitnessPal for tracking our macros. We both find it extremely easy to use and it really keeps us accountable with what we eat - if it's bad and we have to log it, we won't eat it.