Made WW Lifetime: Now, I have to stay motivated!

[JudyS]

Hi, all! I have been posting on this board since last fall about my weight loss struggles. My body really seemed to fight to hang on to every ounce!

When I started, the height/weight charts said that I was about 100 pounds overweight, but losing that much didn't seem realistic to me. In fact, at first losing anything at all seemed impossible! I was sticking to the Weight Watchers diets (I tried both Core and Flex), but the weight wasn't coming off. Eventually, I went on a new drug (Byetta) for my diabetes, switched from the Weight Watchers diets to a low-carb vegetarian diet I designed myself, and started taking a modest dose of ephedrine. The weight started coming off! I spoke to my doctor and we agreed that 40 pounds of weight loss would be a good goal for me. Weight Watchers accepted the goal my doctor and I set as my target weight.

Well, I reached the target 6 weeks ago, and I made Weight Watchers Lifetime this week! I feel much more energetic now that I've lost 40 pounds, and my diabetes and other health problems are under much better control. But, in some ways, reaching Lifetime has been a bit of an anticlimax. Hardly anyone came to Weight Watchers this week, so none of the "regulars" I chat with were there when I made Lifetime. Also, because I clearly don't look thin, I mentioned when I got my Lifetime award that my doctor and I had chosen a weight we felt was healthy for me, even if it was above the height/weight charts. Well, I think the WW Team Leader was just trying to be supportive, but she kind of dwelled on my weight more than I wished she had, repeatedly saying things like, "As long as you're happy with your weight, it doesn't matter what other people think," which made me self-conscious. (I was kind of hoping people wouldn't notice that I'm still fat! )

So, reaching Lifetime hasn't encouraged me the way I hoped it would, and the issue now is how I stay motivated given that I'll have to be very careful about diet and exercise without the "reward" of actually being thin (or even a normal weight, for that matter.)

I had thought that Weight Watchers would have a big financial incentive to stay at goal. I hate spending money when I don't have to (meetings are free if you are Lifetime and weigh it no more than 2 pounds above your goal). I expected if I couldn't stay at my goal weight, I'd have to pay for 7 or 8 weeks of WW meetings at least before I could go for free again, which would have been a good incentive to watch my weight. I've now learned, though, that once you're Lifetime, if you weigh in above goal, you just have to get back to goal and then pay for one meeting once you're at goal, and you're in for free again after that. So, there isn't much of a financial "penalty" to gaining some weight back.

I'm hoping that staying at my goal weight will be an emotional incentive to keep my weight down, even if it's not much of a financial incentive. I'm also planning to put something in my "traveling to Disney" fund each month that I weigh in and I'm still at goal. And, another thing to aim for is joining the National Weight Loss Registry, which is a database of people who have kept off 30 pounds or more for at least a year. I've also told myself that, if I can keep the 40 pounds off for a year, I'll see about having chin-lift surgery (if we can afford it), which would make me much less self-conscious (well, I'd be less self-conscious assuming it worked!)

So, I've done what I set out to do! Now, I need to find ways to stay focused.

 

[tiggerlover]

Congratulations on making LIFETIME!!!!

I am sooooooo proud of your accomplishment, you set a goal and you reached it. If you are looking for support you should stop by the WW thread on a regular basis, there are a bunch of us at various stages of weight loss and so many different perspectives that I am sure you will gain strength to keep going from.

I have been at lifetime for a year at a weight pre-determined by my doctor, which is 10 pounds over the WW norm for me. I recently have lost some weight following Core and I am almost to what they say I should be. I initially felt the way you did, but I have learned to accept myself as I am, which is in a really good and healthy place even though I am not "skinny" I am normal! Celebrate you and and you!

 

[JudyS]

.....
I have been at lifetime for a year at a weight pre-determined by my doctor, which is 10 pounds over the WW norm for me. I recently have lost some weight following Core and I am almost to what they say I should be. I initially felt the way you did, but I have learned to accept myself as I am, which is in a really good and healthy place even though I am not "skinny" I am normal! Celebrate you and and you!

Thanks very much, Tiggerlover! I will need to see about checking out the WW thread.

As for your "not being skinny", you mention that your husband is retired, so I assume you are over 40. At 10 pounds above the top of the height/weight charts, you are actually thinner than most middle-aged women!

It's controversial, but there is some evidence that the height/weight charts are really only accurate guides to a healthy weight for people who are quite young and that for people who are over 40, the healthiest weight to be may be about 10-15 pounds above the top of the height/weight charts. So, you may actually be at the very best weight right now!

In my case, I'm a lot more than 10 pounds above the top of the height/weight charts (it's more like 60), but dieting was making me feel so awful that I really don't think it was healthy for me to try to diet my weight down further. So, I'm confused about what I should do. I'm glad that you tried Core -- I wish Core had worked for me. I like many of the foods on Core, such as apples and whole grains. I rarely get to eat those foods now that I am watching my carbs, and I miss them. But, I actually gained weight on Core, even though I was hungry a lot on it.

I'm surprised that so few people have responded here. Anyone else have anything to say -- advice on what I should do, encouragement, anything?

 

[mikamah]

Congratulations on reaching your goal, and making WW Lifetime!!!

You should be very proud. 40 pounds is a lot of weight, and it definitely makes a huge difference in how you look and feel, and move. I've lost 40 pounds over almost 2 years, and the past year have been up and down with 5, but I feel so much better and healthier and am definitely more active. I have another 30 pounds to reach the top of ww goal chart, but honestly if I lost 10-20, I think I will be very happy. You can be healthy and weigh more than the charts say. For me, it is a lifestyle change, and though I want to lose more weight, I don't want to give up things enough yet. I feel like I have it under control and I will not gain back the 40 pounds, but will go up and down a little, and some weeks I try harder, and go down more than up. If you can incorporate all the healthy changes into your life that it took to lose the weight and live happily with them, then you will definitely be able to keep that weight off.

Celebrate your loss!!! You deserve it!!

 

[JudyS]

Congratulations on reaching your goal, and making WW Lifetime!!!

Thanks, Mikamah!!!

If you can incorporate all the healthy changes into your life that it took to lose the weight and live happily with them, then you will definitely be able to keep that weight off....

Well, this is a big part of what worries me. I did increase the amount of exercise that I do (from 40 minutes on 4 days a week to an hour on 6 or 7 days a week), but apart from that, I don't think I've actually made any healthy changes. Instead, I feel like I lost the weight by starving myself and taking ephedrine. I'm not sure whether I should take keep taking the ephedrine, and I'm worried that I won't have the motivation needed to tolerate being hungry every day for the rest of my life.

The thing is, I just couldn't figure out what changes I was supposed to make. I was already doing all of the WW watchers "healthy habits" back when I was 100 pounds overweight. Also, I didn't eat much junk, and I rarely ate more than I needed to stop feeling hungry. I averaged more than 10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. (I have been a vegetarian for 27 years.) I know everyone says the only way to keep weight off is to make big lifestyles changes, but I don't know what to change.

 

[Raenstoirm]

The thing is, I just couldn't figure out what changes I was supposed to make. I was already doing all of the WW watchers "healthy habits" back when I was 100 pounds overweight. Also, I didn't eat much junk, and I rarely ate more than I needed to stop feeling hungry. I averaged more than 10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. (I have been a vegetarian for 27 years.) I know everyone says the only way to keep weight off is to make big lifestyles changes, but I don't know what to change.

Might I suggest you speak to a nutritionist. If you are doing everything right and still cant lose (with out drugs) then you probably have a deficiency of some sort. They hook you up to this breathing machine and these little electrode doodads and it tells them all sorts of stuff. For example, I am protein deficient so if I don't have enough, I will never lose weight (which has been challenging since I am a partial vegetarian). It might be as simple as upping something in your diet and presto, problem solved.
Now if you are like me and still eat the junk, well you know the result.

 

[JudyS]

Might I suggest you speak to a nutritionist. If you are doing everything right and still cant lose (with out drugs) then you probably have a deficiency of some sort. They hook you up to this breathing machine and these little electrode doodads and it tells them all sorts of stuff. For example, I am protein deficient so if I don't have enough, I will never lose weight (which has been challenging since I am a partial vegetarian). It might be as simple as upping something in your diet and presto, problem solved.
Now if you are like me and still eat the junk, well you know the result.

I've been to about four or five nutritionists. Mostly, they think I should do a low-fat diet. I tried that for many years, though, and I just got fatter and my diabetes got worse. I also developed liver problems (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) when doing a low-fat diet. I seem to do much better limiting carbs than limiting fat -- it doesn't get me down to a normal weight, but it helps a lot with the diabetes and liver problems.

In terms of deficiencies, the only thing a doctor or nutritionist has suggested I take is calcium and a multivitamin, which I do take every day. I've also added in arginine, carnitine, and garcinia, which I think help a little. I drink a lot of protein shakes; I'm probably taking in all the protein my kidneys can handle. (I'm showing signs of early diabetic kidney disease, so I need to avoid excess protein.)

My guess is, there isn't anything they can offer me right now that will fix this problem. If I want to keep the weight off, I have to find a way to handle being hungry a lot, and I have to be motivated enough to do at least an hour of exercise every day.

I've never seen a nutritionist that used a breathing machine or electrodes, though. Raenstoirm, do you know what type of nutritionist that would be?

 

[CGBee]

First, and most importantly... CONGRATULAIONS on making Lifetime!!!! I've been on WW twice with wonderful results, just never the official goal! It's not easy to do, so you should definitely enjoy!!! Secondly though, poo on your leader. I can't believe that a leader out there in WWland should be allowed to make someone's achievement about ANYTHING other than goal achieving. Maybe, if you're up to it, a compliant is in order! And you know, if more of the "regulars" are back for your upcoming meeting you can ask to "recelebrate" with your friends! Make it a nice big celebration and dominate the meeting with YOUR positive thoughts! hehehe

I am sorry, though, that you had trouble just using the program. I wish I had a secret within WW that would help! However, onto another possibility, have you discussed the new OTC drug, Alli with your doc? I don't know if it's good/bad with drug interactions, I don't actually know much about it...but it seems as though it's supposed to be helpful with someone with your veggie-lovin' life style, yet not be full of stimulants such as the ephedrine??? Might be worth a discussion!

Hang in there! You've hit a wonderful milestone and hopefully will continue to have further success!


Just for you:

 

[tiggerlover]

Thanks very much, Tiggerlover! I will need to see about checking out the WW thread.

As for your "not being skinny", you mention that your husband is retired, so I assume you are over 40. At 10 pounds above the top of the height/weight charts, you are actually thinner than most middle-aged women!

It's controversial, but there is some evidence that the height/weight charts are really only accurate guides to a healthy weight for people who are quite young and that for people who are over 40, the healthiest weight to be may be about 10-15 pounds above the top of the height/weight charts. So, you may actually be at the very best weight right now!

In my case, I'm a lot more than 10 pounds above the top of the height/weight charts (it's more like 60), but dieting was making me feel so awful that I really don't think it was healthy for me to try to diet my weight down further. So, I'm confused about what I should do. I'm glad that you tried Core -- I wish Core had worked for me. I like many of the foods on Core, such as apples and whole grains. I rarely get to eat those foods now that I am watching my carbs, and I miss them. But, I actually gained weight on Core, even though I was hungry a lot on it.

I'm surprised that so few people have responded here. Anyone else have anything to say -- advice on what I should do, encouragement, anything?

You assume correctly, on my next birthday I will be 42. Many days I feel that I am right where I should be, so I am not complaining, there are just some days I would like to weigh less.....but I think most of us feel like that. Thank you for your insight, it is very helpful to the overall picture and you make some great points.

In regards to your situation, I really wish I had some answers and advice to offer you, but I am perplexed by your situation and I am not real sure how to advise. It seems to me like there might be several things going on with you, but I don't know just how to address them. You shouldn't be hungry all of the time, that is an awful feeling. Have you consulted a registered dietician? (In my research, "a nutritionist can be just about anyone... in fact, anyone with a health-related background can call himself or herself a nutritionist. A Registered Dietitian (RD), on the other hand, is a graduate of an accredited undergraduate dietetics program, has completed an industry-related internship, and has successfully passed the national registration exam. An RD also maintains his or her credentials with continuing education.") I would think that the doctors you consulted should have come up with a detailed plan for you instead of a general recomendation of a low-fat diet. Perhaps it is worth exploring to find someone who can give you a detailed, more specific plan that will work for you.

 

[Mary Anne]

I just wanted to tell you congradulations! I agree you should speak to someone as you shouldn't be hungry all the time. Please stop by the WW thread, I have found a lot of motovating people there who help keep me on track.

 

[JudyS]

Thanks to everyone who has congratulated me! I really appreciate it!

With Alli -- doesn't Alli require strictly following a low-fat diet? I don't think I can do that; I've tried a variety of low-fat diets, and they all seem to wreak havoc with my blood sugar levels and my liver.

About finding someone who can help with this problem, I have really tried. I should clarify, the "nutritionists" I have spoken to were all registered dietitians. They were generally recommended by one or another of my doctors and all of them were on the staff of one major university medical center or another. I have also been to at least a dozen endocrinologists (maybe more like 20, I've lost track), none of whom really have any answers for me. Some were sympathetic but said there was nothing to be done about the problem; others were downright mean, including one whose first words out of his mouth were, "I'm not even going to run any tests until you lose 40 pounds." Oh, that makes a lot of sense! I generally have to pay for all of my own medical expenses, so going to all of these doctors and dietitians has at times been a major financial hardship, making it doubly frustrating when I get no help from them.

One of the things that has been the hardest about dieting is that I feel so different from everyone else. All the other people at WW seem to be finding it much easier to lose weight than I do. I've had many people, both at WW and on various dieting boards, say that I shouldn't be feeling hungry. A few weeks ago at WW, another woman (whose name is also Judy, as it happens) told me that she had never heard anyone else say they were having a lot of problems with hunger while on WW. That made me feel really alone.

There may actually be lots of other people who are very hungry when they diet, but maybe most of them give up, so I don't see them at WW or on dieting forums. My husband's sister, for example, weighs far more than what I weigh; she probably used to weigh almost twice what I weigh now. I know that she's tried to diet, but just can't do it. She's had bariatric surgery, even (a lap-band), and she's still maybe 100 pounds more than I am now.

I think it's mostly the people who find that dieting works well for them who stick with things like dieting forums or WW. I'm wondering if I might be better off not going to the WW meetings (maybe just weighing in and then leaving), so I won't be hearing people say how they are losing weight so easily. I also need to find ways to remind myself that I'm actually doing well when you consider that many people just give up before they even get as far as I have.

 

[robinb]

First of all ... Congratulations on a 40-lb weight loss .

I can feel the frustration come off the screen when you talk about how hard it has been for you and how easy it is for others. But YOU were the one who stuck it out and lost a very healthy and respectable one pound per week.

You say that you are a vegetarian and you're hungry all the time. Have you considered the glycemic load of each bread/veggie/fruit you eat? If you are eating a lot of carbs with a high glycemic index then that could cause your hunger pangs.

I re-started WW last week coming from a low-carb kind of diet (which I didn't stick to). I poured over the cereal aisle for something quick to eat since I could now "legally" eat grains and selected a box of Kashi Go Lean. It had a lot of fiber and a lot of protein and I thought I was good to go. I had a cup of the crunchy flakes and twigs at my regular breakfast time on Wednesday and by 11:00 am I was ready to gnaw my arm off I was so hungry! I was used to eating 2 eggs and 3 slices of bacon at 8:00 am and looking up at my clock at 1:00 pm and wondering why I wasn't hungry and then I would force myself to eat.

The next day I switched to 1 cup cooked steel cut oatmeal (the kind that takes 30 minutes to cook, but I did it overnight in a crockpot) with a 1/2 scoop protein powder at the advise of a friend. I had to force myself to eat at 12:30. Yippie!

Anyway, what I'm saying is that if you are eating too many high gycemic carbs which are bring converted to blood sugar too quickly that could explain why you are losing weight too slowly and why you are hungry all the time. Have you considered The Zone diet by Dr. Barry Sears? It is one of those 40-30-30 diets where every meal is 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat. It's designed to keep your blood sugar at an even keel. My friend follows that diet and while she is not rail thin, she is healthy and feels great.

 

[Raenstoirm]

double post

 

[Raenstoirm]

In truth I have no idea what the machine is called, but both nutritionists I had gone to have used different versions of it. It is referred to as "Biochemical and Metabolism Testing" if that helps. My doc has been featured on the news and such though, so maybe she is very high tech. Maybe you could call and ask about it. http://www.ebnutrition.com/

I have no idea what other advice to give you, but don't give up. We are here for you!

 

[JudyS]

I will check out that website, Raenstoirm; thank you! And, thanks for the congrats, Robin!

....
You say that you are a vegetarian and you're hungry all the time. Have you considered the glycemic load of each bread/veggie/fruit you eat? If you are eating a lot of carbs with a high glycemic index then that could cause your hunger pangs. ...

I definitely have problems if I eat a lot of carbs. But, as I said in my first post on this thread, I'm on a low-carb diet. (It's not as low as Atkins -- more like South Beach.) I don't generally eat bread at all, except small amounts of reduced-carb varieties; my diet has lots of lower-carb veggies but doesn't allow potatoes or most other starchy vegetables; and for fruit, I eat mostly berries, which have only about 6 carbs per 100 grams.

I realize that people are trying to be helpful by suggesting things that I can change, but I really don't think I'm doing anything "wrong." I have tried many, many diets over the past 35 years or so, and what I'm doing now seems to work the best of anything I've tried.

I think the problem is just my physiology - my body wants to be fat, and it puts up a huge fight when I try to lose weight. I think there are a lot of people in that situation, actually. I don't know, do other people here think that isn't the case?

When I was trying to reach my goal, I was very motivated and went for 6 months without any lapses or binges at all. But, facing a lifetime of doing all this dieting and exercise while still being obese has been tough, and I've really fallen "off the wagon" since I made Lifetime 6 days ago. We had a wedding to go to Saturday; then I've had relatives visiting since Saturday night & they've taken us out to eat for almost every meal. I've gained about 5 pounds back just since Wednesday -- yikes! (That's why I didn't put my WISH clippies in the past few posts.) One thing this really tells me, though, is that I feel much better when I'm at my lowest weight; even just the 5 pounds makes me feel really slowed down. I need to focus on how much better I feel when I'm at my lowest weight, and not think about the fact that people still consider me fat. I'm ready to get back on plan, I think (although I may have trouble getting started until my guests leave tomorrow afternoon.)

 

[Practicallyperfect]

Just wanted to congratulate you on reaching Lifetime! WOW!

 

[JudyS]

Just wanted to congratulate you on reaching Lifetime! WOW!

Thank you, Jackie! What a "practically perfect" thing to say! (Are you a Mary Poppins fan?)