Weight loss for Wishers and becoming Leaner Meaners!

[Creativebeth]

Biggest Loser/Mean Leaner tip of the day:

Have "7-gram" Cereal That means cereal with at least 7 g of fiber per serving, because eating cereal is your easiest chance to get lots of fiber in a small package. Not only is fiber a cancer fighter, but it actually cancels out some of the calories you eat! For example, if you eat 30 g of fiber a day--slightly more than double what most of us get--your body will absorb 120 fewer calories a day. That adds up to a 13-lb loss in a year!

This is from the Prevention magazine site. There are more easy tips for weight loss.....check it out.

Beth

 

[Cindylou]

Hello Everyone,

Just for the record I had 40 pts last week. Not to take any thing away from Jeanne.

Jeanne: Congrats to you. You are obviously making the right choices. If I calculate it correctly you are 15% towards your goal of 20 lbs.

Beth: Great job on the continued exercise streak. And resisting the take out pizza. Isn't it funny how our brains don't work quite right at 5 AM. Cereal has been my biggest source of fiber since we've started this. I combine a serving of Trader Joe's High Fiber and Nature's Path Flax Multigrain for a total of 21 g of fiber and just 3 WW pts. I too like the push up challenge. I'm trying to do the regular ones and not the girly ones like I usually do.

Debra: I hope you got your work done last night and drank all you water. I usually have to get up during the night, now that I'm drinking all this water it is several times. It's like I'm pregnant again. Well, OK, not quite.

Sarah: Great job on sticking to your eating plan over the weekend. Extra points for resisting the call of the french fries. Good luck with your diet coke detox next weekend. Sorry to hear about your dog's injury. Hope he recovers soon. And yes, I always want a bigger weight loss, or a faster time or more money, etc. I really should learn to be happy with what I have. Good luck with the job situation. I'm sure it is very stressful. Just be sure to keep an eye out for stress eating.

Vicky: How nice of DF to make your special BBQ. And how very good of you to resist the dessert. I'll have to check out the push up challenge. I tried one a couple years ago and rather than build up to it I tried doing 100 on the first day. I couldn't move my arms for days afterwards and it hurt my chest to run.

Wendy: Good job on the bike. 13 miles is no small thing.

I ran a 5K race this weekend. I've run this race for the past 3 years and I know it has a fast start. I failed to keep it in check again this year and went out way too fast then struggled thru the middle and suffered until the end. My end result was OK, just 10 seconds slower than last year, but I was disappointed I didn't run a smarter race.

My eating was horrible this weekend. Too many parties and celebrating. I hope I'm back on track this week. I decided to try sugar-free days for a while. So far yesterday and today I'm doing OK. I really want to be able to have a small about of sweets without triggering the need to eat every last cookie or candy. I've been able to do it in the past, so I'm sure I can get there again. Just have to keep trying.

I went to a planning meeting last night for a new road race to be held in my town. It was quite fun being in on the planning of a race. I've run hundreds of races, but never helped to run one. I volunteered to be the Volunteer coordinator. I hope it doesn't turn out to be too hard.

Have a great day everyone.
Cindy

 

[Creativebeth]

A big SORRY to Cindy for missing her stellar point total of 40 last week. I missed it in your post, though got your weight loss! Don't ask me how that happened! I did edit the post and list you as the winner for points for week one!!! Good job!

Beth

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hey Lean Meaners!

Beth - I'm definitely making an effort to track my fibre this week My problem is that I don't measure anything so most of the time I don't know how much of something I'm eating... Like I'll put chickpeas into my salad. I know they've got a lot of fibre but I'm usually in a rush so I'll just shake the can over my salad until it looks "right". Same thing if I'm making berry bowls for dessert... Thanks for the tip about fibre cancelling out calories! I had no idea! Btw, I can't believe that you ran to a baseball game that was just 7 miles away! And you resisted eating pizza too! You go girl

Sarah - Stay strong! I know how tough the job situation can be. I also wanted to wish you luck with your diet soda detox! I stopped drinking diet soda at the beginning of the month. I missed it a lot with certain foods but it's forced me to start drinking a lot more water. I hope your dog feels better soon.

Debra - DF thinks the same way. No special effects, bells, whistles, etc. then it's a rental. I think the next movie I'm really looking forward to is Harry Potter! How did you make out with the push up challenge? Btw, are you still doing your pills and pilates

Cindy - That's what I initially thought the challenge was too. Sounds like you made it to 100? I noticed the next day my lower back muscles were really tired. I think as I was doing the push ups, I probably didn't have good form anymore as I started to tire out. The race planning and coordination sounds interesting. Does it require a big time commitment? I was thinking of volunteering for something similar but wasn't sure if I had the time.

AFM - I had my usual Monday workout. I didn't get to do the deadlifts because I told my PT about my lower back muscles feeling tired and he didn't want to push it. So we're going to try them on Thursday.

So I've been sugar-free for about three weeks now... one thing I've noticed is how sweet things taste. We had a store bought couscous salad for dinner tonight. I didn't realize it had raisins in it - but it tasted a lot sweeter than I thought it should. I asked DF and he said it was fine. I also accidentally ate a salad dressing on the weekend that was made with juice and it tasted super sweet. I wonder if our taste buds re-adjust after not having a certain flavour/taste.

Anyway... have a great night everyone

 

[laxdef69]

All Meaners: Sounds like a cool points contest. I'll be watching from the sidelines, as I don't think I can fit anything else in, but for all of you !


Mike's Lair: My training partner bailed on me after taking clients out to the White Sox game, and then out to the bars afterwards...totally understandable; and in reality triathlons aren't a team sport...on race day, its up to me.

We've had very hot and humid weather the last week, and my little guy (7 years old) has golf lessons every day this week from 7:00- 8:15 PM. But he never, EVER, complains, he just works and works with a huge smile on his face while and says "Dad, its an outside sport!" Out of the mouths of babes, I swear.

Keep it up meaners...if we are willing to do what other won't on training days, we will have what they don't have all the other days!

 

[goofyinohio]

What's up Leaners?

Looks like you all have been busy.

I like the point contest it looks like fun.

My last few months have been pretty crazy, but with Summer here I think I'll be able to slow down a little bit and enjoy it. Until they come looking for my job which in my area is in the works. We'll see what happens, but I'm done worrying about it.

My training has been decent and my weight climbed all the way to 206. I'm now just below 200 and I'm hoping for that loss to continue. We'll see. I've missed talking to you all and hope to be back in more often if not daily!

Take Care All
Chris

 

[Creativebeth]

Good morning peeps! How's it going?

Mike and Chris: It's nice to see you guys drop by! We miss you when you aren't here!

Vicky: Yes, when you go sugar-free, your tastes change alot! I found that some things I didn't like before, I like much better after a month of being sugar-free! It's a good thing mostly, but the down side is being really sensitive to sweet stuff. Things I didn't even know were sweet (or didn't taste sweet at all) would not taste so good. Double edged sword I guess! I'll tell you what.....if someone trys serving you real sugared soda by accident, you will know!!!! Real soda makes me gag! WAY to sweet!

Good for you sticking with it though! It's really hard to change up your typical diet!

AFM: I am a little worried about my weight loss group weigh-in tomorrow. My scale at home has been all over the place last week, so I haven't really weighed myself. I don't know if I will be down tomorrow or up......I don't like not knowing! I will let you know how it goes, but for now I hope to eat "light" tonight!

My hour on the TM this morning was so much better than yesterday....no problem at all. Why is that some days it's so hard to get it done, and other days it's a piece of cake? I guess it's a question for the ages!

Beth

 

[DuffGT06]

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[bunnyfoo]

Hey Lean Meaners! It's a quiet day so not much going on. I'm glad that Beth suggested the BL challenge because on hot days after work, I don't usually feel like doing much. But I'll at least put in 30 minutes for weights and a short walk

Beth - Yes! I've noticed the super sweetness of regular pop. I was at a BBQ last month and there was a can of cream soda sitting out. So I drank some and it was soooooooooo sweet. Yikes! I can't remember how many grams of sugar are in a can of pop but I don't ever think I'll go back to regular.

I was talking to one of the girls at the gym about running and we were saying the same thing. Some days we'll go out for a 6 miler and knock it off like it was nothing. But other days, 3 miles feels like 9. Go figure! I guess it happens to everyone. Good luck with your weigh-in tomorrow When I did WW, I use to go vegetarian and low sodium a couple of days before the weigh-in.

AFM - I have a dentist appointment tonight. Just a cleaning and I'm hoping I'll stay cavity free I will try to make it out for my run after dinner since I want to go to the track and there's no shade there.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[bunnyfoo]

Vicky – Have you noticed any weight loss results after dropping the soda? I definitely want to do it but I’m just hoping for some sort of results once I climb that mountain. Congrats on going sugar free for so long! I hope to get there with you sometime this summer.

Hey Sarah! Glad to hear Bailey's on the mend

Yup, I've lost some weight, though I think more inches than pounds. Dropping the diet soda for me has helped with my sweet cravings. It also forces me to drink more water because there isn't much left for me to drink with meals or in general - milk, water, tea or green tea. I've also found some foods like popcorn don't taste the same with water. I've also stopped eating white bread, rice, fried foods, refined sugars and juice. I'm not sure you have to be that extreme but I picked those specifically to make me think a little more about my choices when eating out (basically - it keeps me away from Indian and Chinese food, no bread baskets and desserts).

Btw - I love the part in Soarin' when you fly over the orange grove. I love that smell

 

[amykab]

Super quick check in from me. Busy Busy Busy week. Delena''s birthday is tomorrow, her party is saturday and SIL is flying in with her girls for a week long visit tomorrow. So it is a little bit of crazy around here!! And I CAN NOT believe that D is going to be 2 years old!!

I did get a new battery for my scale, so I will be checking in with a weight and points later friday or early saturday. I wasnt feeling well monday and yesterday, so my eating has been off.

I am signed up for THREE races in July! D and I are going to vermont for 2 weeks and DH will join us for a part of it. He is going to do the 8 miler with me!

July 3rd-Kiwanis Midnight Run 5k-Dunedin,FL
July 19th-Stowe 8 miler-Stowe, VT (FREE beer and ice cream at the finish)
July 26th-Vermont Race for the Cure 5k- Manchester, VT

 

[Creativebeth]

Biggest Loser tip of the day:

Order Half Your Entrée as Takeout One restaurant portion could feed an entire fraternity house--who needs all those calories? So when you order an entree, ask them to automatically put half of it directly into a take-home box. That way, it'll never show up on your plate! Staying slim helps lower your risk of cancer, diabetes, stroke, and many other illnesses. And you'll have a ready-made meal for tomorrow!

(From Prevention magazine online)

Beth

 

[jeanneg]

Well, I knew it was too good to true. After 3 pounds my body has plateaued already! I was exceptionally good this weekend.....worked out both days, kept my eating totally on track, got all my points in.....and Monday it appeared like I had actually gained a pound!
I know my body and how it totally resists any sort of weight loss, so I am not a happy camper. It looks like the pound was gone the next day and I'm hoping to have at least a small loss this week, but it's not coming off as quickly as it did last week and is VERY frustrating. I know it is going to be an extreme battle to lose each and every pound. Why does the weight hate to leave my body?

On the positive side.....I actually ran (OK, jogged) a full mile this week NONSTOP! I've been adding a little bit to my treadmill sessions each time. Last week I was up to .8 mile, so this week I decided to go for a full one. I even sprinted the last tenth of a mile! The last time I was able to jog over a mile was 20 years ago....and the soundtrack from Dirty Dancing was playing on my Walkman! "she's like the wind......"

Congrats to everyone else for being so good over the holiday weekend!

Vicky: whatever is a Wagyu steak? I have never heard of that one before.

 

[Creativebeth]

Jeanne: I know the slow weight loss is frustrating. After any weight loss like you had last week, your body is 'adjusting'. The body doesn't want to give up any weight, you have to convince it that your are not starving. Make sure you are eating enough. If you cut to many calories, it will be bad. Have you calculated the number of calories you should be eating? Make sure you take your exercise into account also. If you are walking/jogging.....you need more calories.

I spent the entire time during Nancy's leave exercising 2X a day, running over 30 miles a week and didn't lose more than 3 pounds. I figured I wasn't eating enough to actually allow my body to recover and heal. Double edged sword.....

I did invest in the book Master Your Metabolism by Jillian (BL trainer). I changed some things up for a trial week and ended up losing 5 pounds! She recommends clean eating.....no processed foods (crackers, cookies, etc), and wants you to eat all organic (which I can't really do R/T the expense). She recommends no soda (including diet) and no sugar subsitutes (Splenda, Nutrasweet, etc). I really watched my portions the first week, and that lead to the weight loss.

You want to lose the average of 1 to 2 pounds a week (I know, we all want to lose more, but it is harder to keep off) You want to develop good habits along the way.....that is what the point thing is to do for us.

I have been doing the point incentives since the end of January, and they are now habits for me. Sit back and notice how healthy you feel, and how much better you are taking care of yourself compared to other people.

And last thing I will say......don't weigh yourself more than once a week. Everyone's weight flucuates from day to day (actually all day long) Put the scale away between Friday's and don't get it back out. I actually am following that same advice since I was getting frustrated too. Be happy with all the good you are doing.....don't get down because the scale refuses to budge!

The weight thing is difficult.....but I firmly believe that you should never lose weight on a diet plan that you can't live with for the rest of your life. I refuse to give up cookies......so I will factor them in somehow! Know what it is that you can't give up.....and negotiate with yourself when and how you will 'endulge' in those things!

I actually had to do some of my own negotiations yesterday.....I couldn't get up for my 5 miler on my TM before work. Just tired and burned out I guess.....but I knew that Adam had a baseball game that evening, so if I didn't get it done at 5:30 am, it wouldn't get done at all. So, I bribed myself with a diet Coke! And I have to say it worked! I didn't have a stellar run, but it got done non-the-less (and I got my soda!).

I am no expert, but I am getting to know what works for me. I will never be thin.....I am not able to maintain thin with the way I live my life. I want to be at a weight that I don't struggle with, but is healthy and strong to be able to do all those things that are important to me. I am realistic. I don't need thin or a size 6 (like my sister!).

We all have our own ideals (weight, exercise, eating habits) and they are all different. Build yourself up, don't tear yourself down. You are magnificient! You are a strong, long distance athlete. Keep your head up, and look for support from those who understand and struggle right along side you.

Hope this helped!

Love you Jeanne!

Beth

 

[Cindylou]

Good Morning Everyone,

Beth: What a wonderfully written post. I think it is very important to find something you can live with forever. You are such a woman of wisdom. Hope the weigh in went well for you today. It is interesting that some runs are good and some just aren’t. I always wonder about biorhythms. Did you ever calculate those back in high school when you had your Texas Instruments calculator? I don’t hear much talk about biorhythms any more.

Jeanne: Even if you plateau, know that the smart choices you make are making you a healthier person and that will help you to get your finish line photo.

Amy: Happy Birthday to big girl Delena!! Isn’t it amazing how fast the time goes? Good luck with your party planning, hostessing and your races.

Vicky: Hope all went well at the dentist. Good job on 3 weeks sugar free. I made it for almost 2 days. I’m going to have to live with less sugar, I just don’t want to do no-sugar. I’m not sure how much time the Volunteer Coordinator will take. I just thought it seemed easier than trying to drum up sponsors, especially these days. Hope the back is feeling better.

Sarah: Sorry to hear about the headaches. I hope they get better soon. Did you get your double workout in last night? I am anxious to see how much time the Volunteer Coordinator position takes. I hope I don’t regret signing up for it. It is so much easier to eat wisely when cooking at home, but it’s so much more work!

Chris: Good to see you here. Keep up the weight loss. Hope your job works out OK. I keep thinking I’d have much more time to train if I lose my job, I just wouldn’t have money to travel to Disney to run.

Mike: Nice to see you too. Hope the training is going well. There are so many things we can learn from our kids, isn’t there?

I made it to the gym for a swim this morning. I rescheduled my run from yesterday to this afternoon since I was too busy at work and had to leave early yesterday.

My DS is officially done with 1st grade as of yesterday. He really likes school so I think he’s going to miss it, but he’ll be going to camps all summer so he’ll be busy.

It doesn’t really feel like summer vacation to me since I still have to work. Three more weeks until my week long vacation at the beach. Yikes that means there’s only 3 more weeks until my Tri. I don’t feel like I’m ready for that yet. I haven’t been on my bike much because of all the rainy weather we’ve had. I need to get on the trainer inside. One more thing to do! Oh well, it’s all fun stuff at least.

Eating continues to go OK this week. I’m not sure it will be enough to make up for all the eating I did last weekend, but we’ll see tomorrow. Hopefully I can contain myself this weekend so I don’t have to worry about it next week.

Have a great day everyone.
Cindy

 

[getnthinr]

Super quick check-in from me as well.

AMYKAB -- You go on the summer races, girl! I can't stand the heat!

Chris -- You're still my hero. Glad to see you here!

Vicky -- I wish I could get to the place that things tasted too sweet!

Beth -- Thanks for all the tips and inspiration. Like Jeanne, I am impatient with my slow progress, but I agree with everything you said -- especially the part about factoring in the things you love because it has to be a program/system/plan/diet... that you can live with. Having said that, I've been having this weird craving for salads for breakfast. But hey, I'm going with it!

DKP -- I love your upbeat posts. You are one of my favorite encouragers and I loved what you had to say to Kim (hockeychic) on the "ledge" thread. In fact, anyone who needs encouragement should take a moment to check that thread out as well. And, Kim, if you're listening, I fight the same battle with myself every year -- even after a string of marathons. What you're feeling is normal and you absolutely did the right thing by reaching out to the team.

AFM... I am getting addicted to FB and Twitter. It's so easy to tweet a little workout report every morning. (I guess I should be tweeting about my weight loss goals as well. Somehow talking out loud about it helps me to pay more attention.) I am gradually building up mileage. I may visit the Galloway group about an hour away from me. I'd love to train with a group, but for the last two years I simply could not keep up. I don't want to risk injury trying to go faster than I'm able to.

 

[DuffGT06]

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[Creativebeth]

Good morning Lean Meanies! So glad to see all of the posts!

Sarah: Yes, my post was directed at Jeanne, but I am glad that those words were helpful to you. Just call me the diet coach! My sister says that I am "the best weight loser in the world" only if I could kept it off! She is always proud when I lose, but I have had a lifetime of weigh issues. She doesn't get it because she has never really had them.

I am a firm believer that weight loss is 85% in our heads/mental game. Food means so many things to me......comfort mostly. I am spending my 40's learning more about myself than I ever thought. I always try to remember that food isn't what made me fat, so it isn't the enemy. I just have to get 'along' with it!!!!

Glad things are going well for you, and I am glad you found us here!

Cindy: I am very lucky that I work part time. I do feel 'summer' like when I am off and the kids and I can go to the pool, etc. So, your tri is a 3 weeks away! You have trained well, and I am confident that it will go well for you. The one thing I worry about (if I ever did one) would be the transitions.....I think that is the hardest thing. At least when we have a race, it's just us running!

Wendy: Yes, I think as we get older, our bodies rebell with the weight loss. What worked for me in my 20's and 30's, doesn't work so well now! It's a learning curve, that's for sure. What I figure is that I got the time, why not slow and steady??? I am glad to hear how upbeat you are!

AFM: Well, the weigh in went well! I have to say, I am surprized......I even took a dollar bill with me b/c I thought I gained (and was only hoping that it would only be a pound!). But, I am glad to report that I lost another 3!!! Don't know why, but the weight is coming off better since I am only working out 1X day. I am just glad I didn't have to pay!

Ran 5 miles on the TM this morning in anticipation of 2 baseball games tonight. It's so good to get it done early!

Beth

 

[Creativebeth]

Biggest Loser recipe:

From Dana Carpender's Every-Calorie Counts Cookbook.

Creamy Southwestern Dressing

1/4 cup light mayo
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup no-sugar added ketcup
1 tsp chili powder

Just stir together. Makes a good dip.

1/4 cup has 55 cal, 4g fat, 1g protein, 5g carb, trace fiber.

I made this today. (I love southwest dip with carrots) It was really good and a great snack with carrots!

Beth

 

[DuffGT06]

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