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#1
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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 |
#2
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One more pound to go.
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 |
#3
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One more pound to go.
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 |
#4
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One more pound to go.
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 |
#5
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One more pound to go.
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 |
#6
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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 |
#8
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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. |
#9
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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 |
#10
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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. |
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