One more pound to go.

Down to 176, one more pound to go to my final weight loss
goal. I won't be adjusting my goal down again as this
weight is going to be fine.

One more pound will make it an even 100 pounds and September
1, 2004 will mark my 1 year anniversary. Can I lose that
last pound in 3 more weeks? I hope so, if for no other
reason than the psychological victory. I expect that I will
make it. (I've actually set a target to make it by my
birthday on 8/17...we'll see.)

Whether I do or not I have already been on this weight loss
program 9 months longer than any weight loss effort I have
ever attempted in the past. One of my most often stated
goals has been not just losing the weight but keeping it off
so the 1 year milestone is going to be more important to me
than what I actually weigh at the end of the month. By
every objective measure my experience is that this WOE
eating (and being very honest with myself about it in terms
of sticking with it) for sustained weight loss has been more
successful than I had ever hoped.

Do I still have fat to lose? Yes, a bit, but I'm going to
let exercise take care of the rest of it. I will continue
to work on adding back a bit of muscle and strength so I
expect lots of hours in the gym are still in my future.

For the record, and before anyone asks: No, I will not be
going back to my old way of eating after 9/1, or I reach my
goal weight, as it just feels too good to be thin again. I
can't describe how good it feels. I had truly forgotten how
good it feels.

Has this been easy? Yes, and no.

Yes because this WOE eating, for me at least, allowed me to
overcome the continual hunger I always felt on a
low-fat/low-calorie diet. It is interesting how eating a
low-carb/low-calorie diet made this doable. Remember, I
have counted calories the whole way in addition to counting
carbs...I ate at a 1400 calorie/day level for quite few
months with no real hunger issues at all.

That stated, in a different context the reality is that, no,
it has not been easy. All the things in my makeup which
contributed to my becoming fat to begin with are still there
and I still crave on occasion many of the foods I ate for so
long which contributed to my being obese (how many times
have I mentioned that I hate that word, obese?) I don't
expect to ever add refined sugar back to my diet. I know
that I cannot, but this hasn't lessened my desire for it.
That I haven't succumbed to this desire in almost a year is
remarkable to me, but it hasn't always been easy. Because
of where I am in terms of maintenance and maintenance level
carbs I am able to add back limited quantities of previously
denied foods (I will now have on occasion 1/2 cup of brown
rice or an occasional slice of bread for example..but always
taken into account in my carb limits) so I don't really have
to deny myself much. But, gone are the days of milkshakes
and heaping plates of pasta.

Again, and as always, many thanks to all of you as you have
truly contributed to my being successful at this. And,
though she doesn't participate in this newsgroup directly,
you have also contributed much to my wife's success as well.
She too will likely reach her final goal weight by the end
of this month, which will end up at about 70 pounds lost.
For this we both share our thanks. (I just realized that
between the two of us we have lost nearly as much as I now
weigh. That's kind of frightening.)

I think I've said this at least once before, but I will be
posting updated pictures when I get to 175. Perhaps I can
get my wife to let me post hers as well. We'll see.

Later.

--
JJ.
275/176/175 - as of August 4, 2004
Atkins since Sep 1, 2003
http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jjsmythe/my_photos
1, 2, 3...97, 98, 99...almost there

Wonderful effort, JJ.

And a very realistic portrayal, IMO, of what this WOE really is. It's not
always easy, but it's better than the alternative.


Daria
166/under 145/under 145
sugar-free since 2/1/04
low-carb since 2/17/04

JJ wrote:
|| Down to 176, one more pound to go to my final weight loss
|| goal. I won't be adjusting my goal down again as this
|| weight is going to be fine.
||
|| One more pound will make it an even 100 pounds and September
|| 1, 2004 will mark my 1 year anniversary. Can I lose that
|| last pound in 3 more weeks? I hope so, if for no other
|| reason than the psychological victory. I expect that I will
|| make it. (I've actually set a target to make it by my
|| birthday on 8/17...we'll see.)
||

So, if you don't get this 1 pound you're saying that you won't have the
psychological victory? Surely you jest?


|| Whether I do or not I have already been on this weight loss
|| program 9 months longer than any weight loss effort I have
|| ever attempted in the past. One of my most often stated
|| goals has been not just losing the weight but keeping it off
|| so the 1 year milestone is going to be more important to me
|| than what I actually weigh at the end of the month. By
|| every objective measure my experience is that this WOE
|| eating (and being very honest with myself about it in terms
|| of sticking with it) for sustained weight loss has been more
|| successful than I had ever hoped.
||
|| Do I still have fat to lose? Yes, a bit, but I'm going to
|| let exercise take care of the rest of it. I will continue
|| to work on adding back a bit of muscle and strength so I
|| expect lots of hours in the gym are still in my future.

So what fat do you have to lose? When will you know it is time to stop?

||
|| For the record, and before anyone asks: No, I will not be
|| going back to my old way of eating after 9/1, or I reach my
|| goal weight, as it just feels too good to be thin again. I
|| can't describe how good it feels. I had truly forgotten how
|| good it feels.

What will you do, exactly?

||
|| Has this been easy? Yes, and no.
||
|| Yes because this WOE eating, for me at least, allowed me to
|| overcome the continual hunger I always felt on a
|| low-fat/low-calorie diet. It is interesting how eating a
|| low-carb/low-calorie diet made this doable. Remember, I
|| have counted calories the whole way in addition to counting
|| carbs...I ate at a 1400 calorie/day level for quite few
|| months with no real hunger issues at all.
||
|| That stated, in a different context the reality is that, no,
|| it has not been easy. All the things in my makeup which
|| contributed to my becoming fat to begin with are still there
|| and I still crave on occasion many of the foods I ate for so
|| long which contributed to my being obese (how many times
|| have I mentioned that I hate that word, obese?) I don't
|| expect to ever add refined sugar back to my diet. I know
|| that I cannot, but this hasn't lessened my desire for it.
|| That I haven't succumbed to this desire in almost a year is
|| remarkable to me, but it hasn't always been easy. Because
|| of where I am in terms of maintenance and maintenance level
|| carbs I am able to add back limited quantities of previously
|| denied foods (I will now have on occasion 1/2 cup of brown
|| rice or an occasional slice of bread for example..but always
|| taken into account in my carb limits) so I don't really have
|| to deny myself much. But, gone are the days of milkshakes
|| and heaping plates of pasta.
||
|| Again, and as always, many thanks to all of you as you have
|| truly contributed to my being successful at this. And,
|| though she doesn't participate in this newsgroup directly,
|| you have also contributed much to my wife's success as well.
|| She too will likely reach her final goal weight by the end
|| of this month, which will end up at about 70 pounds lost.
|| For this we both share our thanks. (I just realized that
|| between the two of us we have lost nearly as much as I now
|| weigh. That's kind of frightening.)

That's really wonderful, JJ. I hope to meet you both in Atlanta later this
year. Come to think of it, that time is approaching....i'm hoping for Octob
er/November...

||
|| I think I've said this at least once before, but I will be
|| posting updated pictures when I get to 175. Perhaps I can
|| get my wife to let me post hers as well. We'll see.
||
|| Later.
||
|| --
|| JJ.
|| 275/176/175 - as of August 4, 2004
|| Atkins since Sep 1, 2003
|| http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jjsmythe/my_photos
|| 1, 2, 3...97, 98, 99...almost there

Roger Zoul wrote:
JJ wrote:
Down to 176, one more pound to go to my final weight
loss
goal. I won't be adjusting my goal down again as this
weight is going to be fine.

One more pound will make it an even 100 pounds and
September
1, 2004 will mark my 1 year anniversary. Can I lose
that
last pound in 3 more weeks? I hope so, if for no other
reason than the psychological victory. I expect that I
will
make it. (I've actually set a target to make it by my
birthday on 8/17...we'll see.)


So, if you don't get this 1 pound you're saying that you
won't have
the psychological victory? Surely you jest?



The psychological victory I was referring to was not
reaching a number goal by a date, but just reaching the goal
itself so that I focus exclusively on the next big thing.
Was it not clear in the subsequent paragraph that, despite
this particular goal, my bigger and long term focus is on
maintenance?


Whether I do or not I have already been on this weight
loss
program 9 months longer than any weight loss effort I
have
ever attempted in the past. One of my most often stated
goals has been not just losing the weight but keeping it
off
so the 1 year milestone is going to be more important to
me
than what I actually weigh at the end of the month. By
every objective measure my experience is that this WOE
eating (and being very honest with myself about it in
terms
of sticking with it) for sustained weight loss has been
more
successful than I had ever hoped.

Do I still have fat to lose? Yes, a bit, but I'm going
to
let exercise take care of the rest of it. I will
continue
to work on adding back a bit of muscle and strength so I
expect lots of hours in the gym are still in my future.

So what fat do you have to lose? When will you know it is
time to
stop?


I've tried to make it clear that, so far as focus on weight
loss goes, I am done at 175. As far as remaining fat, I
still have a bit of pudginess around the waist and my chest.
Not too bad, but it is still there. I'm not that worried
about it and am willing to let time and exercise take its
course, which I apparently did not articulate well. At this
point I will keep on doing what has been working, we'll see
where my body finds its equilibrium.


For the record, and before anyone asks: No, I will not
be
going back to my old way of eating after 9/1, or I reach
my
goal weight, as it just feels too good to be thin again.
I
can't describe how good it feels. I had truly forgotten
how
good it feels.

What will you do, exactly?

Much as I stated above, I will keep on doing what has been
working over the last couple months of maintenance. For me
that now means carb levels of about 100g/day on average,
with calorie levels of 2000-2200/day. This works and
appears to be sustainable over the long haul, using the last
couple months as my guide. I suspect that I will have to
continue to adjust these levels slightly up or down
depending upon activity level. Ultimately the tightness of
my pants at my waistline will be my guide. The specific
message I was trying to convey here was that, once this goal
is reached, I won't be reverting to my old ways.


Has this been easy? Yes, and no.

Yes because this WOE eating, for me at least, allowed me
to
overcome the continual hunger I always felt on a
low-fat/low-calorie diet. It is interesting how eating
a
low-carb/low-calorie diet made this doable. Remember, I
have counted calories the whole way in addition to
counting
carbs...I ate at a 1400 calorie/day level for quite few
months with no real hunger issues at all.

That stated, in a different context the reality is that,
no,
it has not been easy. All the things in my makeup which
contributed to my becoming fat to begin with are still
there
and I still crave on occasion many of the foods I ate
for so
long which contributed to my being obese (how many times
have I mentioned that I hate that word, obese?) I don't
expect to ever add refined sugar back to my diet. I
know
that I cannot, but this hasn't lessened my desire for
it.
That I haven't succumbed to this desire in almost a year
is
remarkable to me, but it hasn't always been easy.
Because
of where I am in terms of maintenance and maintenance
level
carbs I am able to add back limited quantities of
previously
denied foods (I will now have on occasion 1/2 cup of
brown
rice or an occasional slice of bread for example..but
always
taken into account in my carb limits) so I don't really
have
to deny myself much. But, gone are the days of
milkshakes
and heaping plates of pasta.

Again, and as always, many thanks to all of you as you
have
truly contributed to my being successful at this. And,
though she doesn't participate in this newsgroup
directly,
you have also contributed much to my wife's success as
well.
She too will likely reach her final goal weight by the
end
of this month, which will end up at about 70 pounds
lost.
For this we both share our thanks. (I just realized
that
between the two of us we have lost nearly as much as I
now
weigh. That's kind of frightening.)

That's really wonderful, JJ. I hope to meet you both in
Atlanta
later this year. Come to think of it, that time is
approaching....i'm hoping for Octob er/November...


Carol has pinged you a couple times about a date. I don't
currently have any travel plans for October or the first
half of November so I should be around most anytime you and
Carol want to coordinate a trip.


I think I've said this at least once before, but I will
be
posting updated pictures when I get to 175. Perhaps I
can
get my wife to let me post hers as well. We'll see.

Later.

--
JJ.
275/176/175 - as of August 4, 2004
Atkins since Sep 1, 2003
http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jjsmythe/my_photos
1, 2, 3...97, 98, 99...almost there

--
JJ.
275/176/175 - as of August 4, 2004
Atkins since Sep 1, 2003
http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jjsmythe/my_photos
1, 2, 3...97, 98, 99...almost there

On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 20:21:43 GMT, "JJ" wrote:

RC wrote:
On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 01:44:05 GMT, "JJ" wrote:

have counted calories the whole way in addition to
counting
carbs...I ate at a 1400 calorie/day level for quite few
months with no real hunger issues at all.

more snipped

Eat more, and you'll be okay. Start with 2100 calories and
go up from
there.


Of course, I jest. Big congratulations to you. You've
obviously done a
fantastic job!

RC

Thanks. I had figured out before I finished reading your
post that you were joking.

I've read much about BMR and related stuff. I suppose that
all things have merit in context, this particular school of
thought often seems to be applied on too broad a context too
often.


I think the qualifier "In Context" hits the nail squarely on the head,
JJ. That I can determine, starvation mode metabolism has no real place
within the context of obesity and weight loss. In this context it has
to do with lore and self-reported, anecdotal group "wisdom" that has
grown into a bit of a monster.

Sorry for hijacking part of your thread. I had just read three more
posts with people advising others about starvation mode and coming to
the conclusion that the solution to their pauses in loss is to eat
more calories. I had it immediately on the brain when I saw the 1400
calorie thing.

Did you lose that pound yet?


RC

RC wrote:
|| On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 20:21:43 GMT, "JJ" wrote:
||
||| RC wrote:
|||| On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 01:44:05 GMT, "JJ" wrote:
||||
||||| have counted calories the whole way in addition to
||||| counting
||||| carbs...I ate at a 1400 calorie/day level for quite few
||||| months with no real hunger issues at all.
||
|| more snipped
||
|||| Eat more, and you'll be okay. Start with 2100 calories and
|||| go up from
|||| there.
||||
||||
|||| Of course, I jest. Big congratulations to you. You've
|||| obviously done a
|||| fantastic job!
||||
|||| RC
|||
||| Thanks. I had figured out before I finished reading your
||| post that you were joking.
|||
||| I've read much about BMR and related stuff. I suppose that
||| all things have merit in context, this particular school of
||| thought often seems to be applied on too broad a context too
||| often.
||
||
|| I think the qualifier "In Context" hits the nail squarely on the
|| head, JJ. That I can determine, starvation mode metabolism has no
|| real place within the context of obesity and weight loss. In this
|| context it has to do with lore and self-reported, anecdotal group
|| "wisdom" that has grown into a bit of a monster.


There are many in this group who don't hold with the starvation mode theory.

||
|| Sorry for hijacking part of your thread. I had just read three more
|| posts with people advising others about starvation mode and coming to
|| the conclusion that the solution to their pauses in loss is to eat
|| more calories. I had it immediately on the brain when I saw the 1400
|| calorie thing.
||
|| Did you lose that pound yet?
||
||
|| RC

In article ,
says...
In article nSwQc.250066$Oq2.238208@attbi_s52, says...
When are you going to update your photos? I mean, you are
in the 140's now and your most recent picture is two months
old.

Soon ...

I just took some photos, but I don't see a significant enough change from the
last set yet, so it'll probably be another month. Sorry JJ :-)

--
Saffire
205/149/125 - 5'1.5"
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

Lady o' the house wrote:
JJ,

You are a wonderful inspiration to me! I love to read
your posts, as
you are always so positive and determined to "win the
battle of the
bulge." ;-)

And I understand your feelings about wanting to reach that
magical
number on the scale. When I tell others about my goal
weight, they
get a shocked expression since they've never seen me at
that weight
(heck, I'VE never seen me at that weight, LOL). But there
is
definitely a satisfaction that you get from reaching that
long-term
goal that you set way back when.

Congratulations!


Thank you Linda. I hope that over time the inspiration can
be not just losing the weight but keeping if off for the
long run too. I intend to make that a reality but it still
isn't easy.

As far as "seeing" yourself (or myself in this case) I used
to tell people that I never ever weighed in the 100's
before...I sat down at the table one day when I weighed 98
pound and when I stood back up after eating I weighed 220.
Of course, I can't use that lame joke anymore, can I.

I think that you are doing very well yourself. Your change
in appearance, especially in your face, is remarkable. Make
sure you keep taking pictures of yourself in that maroon
chair, it is a very effective gauge for showing your
progress.

--
JJ.

RC wrote:


I think the qualifier "In Context" hits the nail squarely
on the head,
JJ. That I can determine, starvation mode metabolism has
no real place
within the context of obesity and weight loss. In this
context it has
to do with lore and self-reported, anecdotal group
"wisdom" that has
grown into a bit of a monster.

Sorry for hijacking part of your thread. I had just read
three more
posts with people advising others about starvation mode
and coming to
the conclusion that the solution to their pauses in loss
is to eat
more calories. I had it immediately on the brain when I
saw the 1400
calorie thing.

Did you lose that pound yet?


Not yet but I will; likely before the middle of the month.
I generally haven't been posting my losses of late until I
have maintained a weight for 3 days. So even if I were to
hit 175 today (I won't) I generally wouldn't claim it for a
couple more days. I have had some exceptions to that rule
but not too many.

I don't believe for a moment that the way I have gone about
this would automatically work for everybody but it has
certainly worked for me. There are so many factors that
have allowed me to be successful this time it would be
difficult to enumerate them. Most of them extend beyond the
diet itself; support and encouragement from family and
friends, the support I have had here in this newsgroup.
Having a spouse as dedicated to this as I have has been
supportive beyond description. Having a 10 year old
daughter who would brag to her friends because she could put
her arms all the way around me also provided more motivation
than I can otherwise describe.

So far as calorie levels, I've been on multiple
low-fat/calorie controlled diets where I ate at 1200
cals/day for 90 days and was starving. Why 90 days?
Because that was the longest I ever lasted. 45 pound down,
55 pounds up. (Everybody here who is, or was, seriously
obese and has done the low-fat/low-calorie thing for any
extended period and can attest to how much sheer
determination and willpower that takes, raise your hand.
Anybody who has done it for longer than 90 days my hat is
off to you.) Eating at 1400 cals/day on low-carb is sheer
luxury compared to that. I did not start out at 1400
calories, I consciously worked down to it. If I remember
correctly I was in the 1800-2000 calorie range at the start,
which I periodically dropped when I perceived a slowdown in
my weight loss. It worked for me, not just because I was
eating this way, but because I could keep eating this way
for a very long time. I almost can't believe that almost a
year has passed already.

--
JJ.
275/176/175 - as of August 4, 2004
Atkins since Sep 1, 2003
http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jjsmythe/my_photos
1, 2, 3...97, 98, 99...almost there

irdgad wrote:
In article ,
says...
In article nSwQc.250066$Oq2.238208@attbi_s52,
says...
When are you going to update your photos? I mean, you
are
in the 140's now and your most recent picture is two
months
old.

Soon ...

I just took some photos, but I don't see a significant
enough change
from the last set yet, so it'll probably be another month.
Sorry JJ
:-)


Saffire? The words might sound like you but the address
doesn't look like you.

--
JJ.