Needing advice on weight loss. Would really appreciate it.

On Aug 17, 11:21 pm, Shauhnathan wrote:

So it sounds like I should stick to around 1500 and make a daily
effort to stick to that and not go over. Will a person still lose 1 lb
a week while doing weight training 2-3 times a week?

Well, I lost 130 lbs (at an average rate of about 6 lbs/month) while
weight training 4-5 times a week :-).

Also, can any of you give me tips on how to keep from going over 1500
calories a day? I have tried a food log and that wore off. I don't
keep it anymore.

Well, that's just because you gave up on it. I kept a food log for 4
1/2 years. (Incidentally, I generally targeted about 1600 calories
per day, but by the time I got down to what you weigh I was doing more
like 1400 while I was continuing to try to lose, then back up to
around 1600 for maintenance. But I'm a whole lot older than you and
almost surely have a slower metabolism for that reason.)

I know that if I
took my lunch to work everyday or went to subway over going out to
eat, I would be saving many calories, but who wants to sit at work and
eat a packed lunch and not get out of the office for an hour?? It's
really hard to find the motivation to just sit at work for an hour and
eat a crappy meal to save the calories.

Well, why do you suppose the lunch you took to work would be
"crappy"? What's crappy is the breadsticks and stuff you're eating at
the restaurants. I really loved the big salads I took to work for
lunch. And think about getting out for a walk or a run at lunchtime.
(Running works best if you have a shower at the office or a good way
to cool off afterward :-).)

I also need tips on how I can
go to my mother's house in the evening to pick up my son when she is
cooking a really good meal and not over-eat. I have tried eating
before I go there, so that I'm not hungry when I'm there, but I still
can never resist eating something there because she has so much good
stuff, so then I end up having even more calories.

Well, I think you know the real answer to all this. You just don't
have the commitment or discipline to control what you're eating. You
say you can't do it, but of course you can. You just don't want to.
At some point you're going to have to get serious about it if you hope
to lose weight. And keep in mind that you're setting an example for
your son. If you eat junk all the time, so will he.

Chris
262/130s/130s

On Aug 18, 7:33 am, wrote:

If you are struggling
with this at 23, you'll be in deep by middle age, unless you take the
steps now to avert.

What she said. Another young woman here, who was around your age and
weight, said she couldn't imagine ever getting up to a really obese
weight like I'd once been at (my all-time high was at least 275); she
just had to worry about her extra 15-20 stubborn pounds. Well, here's
what happens: I was 135 lbs. at age 20. At 54 I was 275. So I
gained 140 lbs. in 34 years. That comes out to about 4 lbs/year. Not
such a lot, huh? That's an extra 14,000 calories PER YEAR over what I
would have needed to maintain my weight. That's a whopping extra 38
calories per day -- maybe 1/4 of a breadstick :-). Obesity happens
because you don't do anything about the little problem before it
becomes a big problem. Think about this.

Chris
262/130s/130w

Shauhnathan wrote:

Also, can any of you give me tips on how to keep from going over 1500
calories a day? I have tried a food log and that wore off. I don't
keep it anymore.

Butch the hell up. Seriously. Nothing's going to work if you keep
quitting.

http://www.fitday.com

I am not and will never be "butch."

I know I have to be more serious about some things, but I don't need
your attitude. I am here for moral support, not for rude comments.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!


On Aug 19, 10:16 am, (The Queen of Cans and
Jars) wrote:
Shauhnathan wrote:
Also, can any of you give me tips on how to keep from going over 1500
calories a day? I have tried a food log and that wore off. I don't
keep it anymore.

Butch the hell up. Seriously. Nothing's going to work if you keep
quitting.

http://www.fitday.com

I'm actually fairly good about not eating junk food. I am bad at
portion control. I love healthy food and I could eat it all day, but I
tend to eat what's most convenient because of my busy lifestyle. I'm
getting better though, thanks to some great advice from this forum. I
am going to contine to keep my food log on here and I think that's
going to help too. I feel like it holds me accountable.


On Aug 19, 7:04 am, Chris wrote:
On Aug 17, 11:21 pm, Shauhnathan wrote:

So it sounds like I should stick to around 1500 and make a daily
effort to stick to that and not go over. Will a person still lose 1 lb
a week while doing weight training 2-3 times a week?

Well, I lost 130 lbs (at an average rate of about 6 lbs/month) while
weight training 4-5 times a week :-).

Also, can any of you give me tips on how to keep from going over 1500
calories a day? I have tried a food log and that wore off. I don't
keep it anymore.

Well, that's just because you gave up on it. I kept a food log for 4
1/2 years. (Incidentally, I generally targeted about 1600 calories
per day, but by the time I got down to what you weigh I was doing more
like 1400 while I was continuing to try to lose, then back up to
around 1600 for maintenance. But I'm a whole lot older than you and
almost surely have a slower metabolism for that reason.)

I know that if I
took my lunch to work everyday or went to subway over going out to
eat, I would be saving many calories, but who wants to sit at work and
eat a packed lunch and not get out of the office for an hour?? It's
really hard to find the motivation to just sit at work for an hour and
eat a crappy meal to save the calories.

Well, why do you suppose the lunch you took to work would be
"crappy"? What's crappy is the breadsticks and stuff you're eating at
the restaurants. I really loved the big salads I took to work for
lunch. And think about getting out for a walk or a run at lunchtime.
(Running works best if you have a shower at the office or a good way
to cool off afterward :-).)

I also need tips on how I can
go to my mother's house in the evening to pick up my son when she is
cooking a really good meal and not over-eat. I have tried eating
before I go there, so that I'm not hungry when I'm there, but I still
can never resist eating something there because she has so much good
stuff, so then I end up having even more calories.

Well, I think you know the real answer to all this. You just don't
have the commitment or discipline to control what you're eating. You
say you can't do it, but of course you can. You just don't want to.
At some point you're going to have to get serious about it if you hope
to lose weight. And keep in mind that you're setting an example for
your son. If you eat junk all the time, so will he.

Chris
262/130s/130s

Shauhnathan wrote:

I am not and will never be "butch."

I know I have to be more serious about some things, but I don't need
your attitude. I am here for moral support, not for rude comments.

If you don't think someone telling you to stop whining and get your act
together is support, you aren't going to last very long here. While
some of the regulars are less blunt than I am, they're still not the
type to hold your hand and baby you along.

"Butch up" doesn't have anything to do with "being butch." It means
suck it the hell up and start acting like an adult who has control over
the choices she makes, and it's some of the best advice you'll ever get
when it comes to losing weight.

On Aug 19, 10:23 pm, Shauhnathan wrote:
I'm actually fairly good about not eating junk food. I am bad at
portion control. I love healthy food and I could eat it all day, but I
tend to eat what's most convenient because of my busy lifestyle. I'm
getting better though, thanks to some great advice from this forum. I
am going to contine to keep my food log on here and I think that's
going to help too. I feel like it holds me accountable.

On Aug 19, 7:04 am, Chris wrote:



On Aug 17, 11:21 pm, Shauhnathan wrote:

So it sounds like I should stick to around 1500 and make a daily
effort to stick to that and not go over. Will a person still lose 1 lb
a week while doing weight training 2-3 times a week?

Well, I lost 130 lbs (at an average rate of about 6 lbs/month) while
weight training 4-5 times a week :-).

Also, can any of you give me tips on how to keep from going over 1500
calories a day? I have tried a food log and that wore off. I don't
keep it anymore.

Well, that's just because you gave up on it. I kept a food log for 4
1/2 years. (Incidentally, I generally targeted about 1600 calories
per day, but by the time I got down to what you weigh I was doing more
like 1400 while I was continuing to try to lose, then back up to
around 1600 for maintenance. But I'm a whole lot older than you and
almost surely have a slower metabolism for that reason.)

I know that if I
took my lunch to work everyday or went to subway over going out to
eat, I would be saving many calories, but who wants to sit at work and
eat a packed lunch and not get out of the office for an hour?? It's
really hard to find the motivation to just sit at work for an hour and
eat a crappy meal to save the calories.

Well, why do you suppose the lunch you took to work would be
"crappy"? What's crappy is the breadsticks and stuff you're eating at
the restaurants. I really loved the big salads I took to work for
lunch. And think about getting out for a walk or a run at lunchtime.
(Running works best if you have a shower at the office or a good way
to cool off afterward :-).)

I also need tips on how I can
go to my mother's house in the evening to pick up my son when she is
cooking a really good meal and not over-eat. I have tried eating
before I go there, so that I'm not hungry when I'm there, but I still
can never resist eating something there because she has so much good
stuff, so then I end up having even more calories.

Well, I think you know the real answer to all this. You just don't
have the commitment or discipline to control what you're eating. You
say you can't do it, but of course you can. You just don't want to.
At some point you're going to have to get serious about it if you hope
to lose weight. And keep in mind that you're setting an example for
your son. If you eat junk all the time, so will he.

Chris
262/130s/130s- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

That's exactly why I do it -- accountability!

Chris

Shauhnathan wrote:

I am a 23 year old (in 2 days to be exact) female and am 5'6. I've
always been semi- thin, but over the past few years, I have slowly put
on pounds. I did work as a waitress and got down to 137 lbs two years
ago, then got pregnant and had a baby, leaving me at 160, as of last
May.

A woman's figure improves permanently when she has her
first child. It includes some changes in bone structure.
Call it around 5-10 pounds above your pre-baby reasonable
low. So now it is realistic to expect that your new ideal
weight is in the range of 142-148.

I desperately want to be 130 lbs, which would make me about a size 6.
This is ideal for me.

It is no longer your ideal weight. In the movie Gone with the
Wind after Scarlet O'Hara gave birth she insisted that she
could have her figure and her baby both. More than just the
local culture passed in Gone with the Wind.

So I think your goal is 12-18 pounds below your new ideal
weight. You could get there but it would set you up for
unending unrelenting hunger. Not maintainable and of
questionable health value.

Right now, I wear about an 11. Since May of this
year, I have been really working out, consistently. I work out about 5
times a week. When I say work out, I mean a mixture of cardio and
weights. I typically do a full body workout (given to me by a trainer)
about twice a week and the other days I am there, I do cardio for
about an hour. This type of activity is much more than I have ever
done before in my life. I never consistently worked out before now.

Most excellent.

I have tried really hard to eat better since I started working out
consistently. I only drink water, diet drinks and ocassionally sweet
tea.

I'm a low carber so I cringe at the thought of sweet tea, but
that's me not you ...

My diet could definitely be better, though. I have my good days
and bad. Some days I stay right at 1,000 calories,

Let's work the numbers a bit. At a target weight of 142-148
your maintenance calorie count could be 1500 or a bit below that.
Loss work best at about 500 calorie deficit - Cut more and the
body changes its hormone balances to reduce resting
metabolism (commonly called "starvation mode"). At 1000
calories you have selected just the right target intake. Good job.

while others I
don't do so well and eat a fast breakfast, like a biscuit and then eat
out for lunch and so on. I pretty much always keep a running count of
my calories, but food is definitely one downfall to my losing weight.
I am very busy so I eat what is easiest to get to and I love to eat
out, which I know is very bad. I also tend to gorge at my mother's
house when she cooks. She always has cabinets brimming with fatty
snacks too that I can't resist.

One day off plan isn't a problem unless it erodes your resolve.
Calories work best when viewed with a weekly average anyways.
Average it out and see how close you are to 1000 by the end
of the week.

Obviously I have a really hard time dieting,

Who doesn't.

so I usually do extra
cardio to try and make up for the extra calories I've had.

Cardio is good stuff, but it is very hard to work out enough to
make up for even one piece of chocolate cake.

So, my problem is that I'm not seeing the results that I really want
to see.

Partially because you have selected an unrealistic goal.

I've only lost 12 lbs in 3 months.

Consider - Folks who've managed to keep it off 5+ years tended
to lose it at a pound a week. So your loss rate so far has been
ideal. Has there ever been a dieter in history satisfied with
realistic ideal loss rates? Probably not. But is your loss rate
ideal? Absolutely. And since nothing is wrong there is no need
for you to consider fixing that which is not broken.

At first, it was slowly coming off, but it has been
at a dead standstill at 147 for about 5 weeks now, which is very
frustrating.

A lesson from Dr Atkins that really applies across the board -
The last 10 pounds is supposed to be lost very slowly. Also
he defined a stall as 4+ weeks without a new low and also
without a lost inch (wanna bet you're smaller in those 5 weeks
so you really aren't stalled?). Add these together and it comes
out the last 10 pounds should take about a year.

Since you are now 6 pounds from the bottom of my suggested
goal range, you should expect realistically to lose a pound a
month now. So you may not like your current progress (no
dieter ever does) but you are doing just fine.

My clothes are fitting a little looser, I feel more toned than I did

Consider why Dr Atkins defined a stall in terms of both new lows
and also lost inches. Anyone with small amounts to lose (under
a hundred) is probably trying to lose size if they really think about
it. Weight is just an easily measured but not particularly accurate
side effect of size.

before I started working out, and my body fat has gone down from 28 to
24,

Good progress. More toning to go to edge it down farther.

My goal is to be where I want by December, and I have been
told this is a reasonable goal.

I disagree. How qualified is the person who told you that? Note
that I'm just some guy posting on UseNet so I don't have any
formal qualifications either. But how much is your wish to
achieve the unreasonable in the face of your already ideal
progress?

I am considering spending a couple hundred dollars on a weight loss
clinic to get shots consisting of half lipo-dissolve and half B-12.

Scam alert.

These are suppose to give you alot of energy and dissolve fat.

The B-12 will increase energy. Nothing wrong with that part of it
but you're a lot younger than the typical menopausal woman who
gets B-12 shots.

You can
also buy diet pills from this clinic that work with the program to
help you lose quickly. I am considering doing the pills too.

Let's see. Ideal realistic progress so nothing is wrong so any
change would be fixing something not broken. Combined with
reinforced unrealistic expectations. Combined with an offer to
buy pills. Check. What say you just send me the check
instead? I won't BS you about pills.

On Aug 20, 2:10 pm, Doug Freyburger wrote:
Shauhnathan wrote:

I am a 23 year old (in 2 days to be exact) female and am 5'6. I've
always been semi- thin, but over the past few years, I have slowly put
on pounds. I did work as a waitress and got down to 137 lbs two years
ago, then got pregnant and had a baby, leaving me at 160, as of last
May.

A woman's figure improves permanently when she has her
first child. It includes some changes in bone structure.
Call it around 5-10 pounds above your pre-baby reasonable
low. So now it is realistic to expect that your new ideal
weight is in the range of 142-148.

I desperately want to be 130 lbs, which would make me about a size 6.
This is ideal for me.

It is no longer your ideal weight. In the movie Gone with the
Wind after Scarlet O'Hara gave birth she insisted that she
could have her figure and her baby both. More than just the
local culture passed in Gone with the Wind.

So I think your goal is 12-18 pounds below your new ideal
weight. You could get there but it would set you up for
unending unrelenting hunger. Not maintainable and of
questionable health value.

Right now, I wear about an 11. Since May of this
year, I have been really working out, consistently. I work out about 5
times a week. When I say work out, I mean a mixture of cardio and
weights. I typically do a full body workout (given to me by a trainer)
about twice a week and the other days I am there, I do cardio for
about an hour. This type of activity is much more than I have ever
done before in my life. I never consistently worked out before now.

Most excellent.

I have tried really hard to eat better since I started working out
consistently. I only drink water, diet drinks and ocassionally sweet
tea.

I'm a low carber so I cringe at the thought of sweet tea, but
that's me not you ...

My diet could definitely be better, though. I have my good days
and bad. Some days I stay right at 1,000 calories,

Let's work the numbers a bit. At a target weight of 142-148
your maintenance calorie count could be 1500 or a bit below that.
Loss work best at about 500 calorie deficit - Cut more and the
body changes its hormone balances to reduce resting
metabolism (commonly called "starvation mode"). At 1000
calories you have selected just the right target intake. Good job.

while others I
don't do so well and eat a fast breakfast, like a biscuit and then eat
out for lunch and so on. I pretty much always keep a running count of
my calories, but food is definitely one downfall to my losing weight.
I am very busy so I eat what is easiest to get to and I love to eat
out, which I know is very bad. I also tend to gorge at my mother's
house when she cooks. She always has cabinets brimming with fatty
snacks too that I can't resist.

One day off plan isn't a problem unless it erodes your resolve.
Calories work best when viewed with a weekly average anyways.
Average it out and see how close you are to 1000 by the end
of the week.

Obviously I have a really hard time dieting,

Who doesn't.

so I usually do extra
cardio to try and make up for the extra calories I've had.

Cardio is good stuff, but it is very hard to work out enough to
make up for even one piece of chocolate cake.

So, my problem is that I'm not seeing the results that I really want
to see.

Partially because you have selected an unrealistic goal.

I've only lost 12 lbs in 3 months.

Consider - Folks who've managed to keep it off 5+ years tended
to lose it at a pound a week. So your loss rate so far has been
ideal. Has there ever been a dieter in history satisfied with
realistic ideal loss rates? Probably not. But is your loss rate
ideal? Absolutely. And since nothing is wrong there is no need
for you to consider fixing that which is not broken.

At first, it was slowly coming off, but it has been
at a dead standstill at 147 for about 5 weeks now, which is very
frustrating.

A lesson from Dr Atkins that really applies across the board -
The last 10 pounds is supposed to be lost very slowly. Also
he defined a stall as 4+ weeks without a new low and also
without a lost inch (wanna bet you're smaller in those 5 weeks
so you really aren't stalled?). Add these together and it comes
out the last 10 pounds should take about a year.

Since you are now 6 pounds from the bottom of my suggested
goal range, you should expect realistically to lose a pound a
month now. So you may not like your current progress (no
dieter ever does) but you are doing just fine.

My clothes are fitting a little looser, I feel more toned than I did

Consider why Dr Atkins defined a stall in terms of both new lows
and also lost inches. Anyone with small amounts to lose (under
a hundred) is probably trying to lose size if they really think about
it. Weight is just an easily measured but not particularly accurate
side effect of size.

before I started working out, and my body fat has gone down from 28 to
24,

Good progress. More toning to go to edge it down farther.

My goal is to be where I want by December, and I have been
told this is a reasonable goal.

I disagree. How qualified is the person who told you that? Note
that I'm just some guy posting on UseNet so I don't have any
formal qualifications either. But how much is your wish to
achieve the unreasonable in the face of your already ideal
progress?

I am considering spending a couple hundred dollars on a weight loss
clinic to get shots consisting of half lipo-dissolve and half B-12.

Scam alert.

These are suppose to give you alot of energy and dissolve fat.

The B-12 will increase energy. Nothing wrong with that part of it
but you're a lot younger than the typical menopausal woman who
gets B-12 shots.

You can
also buy diet pills from this clinic that work with the program to
help you lose quickly. I am considering doing the pills too.

Let's see. Ideal realistic progress so nothing is wrong so any
change would be fixing something not broken. Combined with
reinforced unrealistic expectations. Combined with an offer to
buy pills. Check. What say you just send me the check
instead? I won't BS you about pills.

Here is a website that gives some guidelines for height.
http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm I punched in 23 years old,
female, and 66 inches and got a medical recommendation of 118-155 when
I punched in her previous wt. of 137. According to this site, it is
not unrealistic to set 137 as a goal. I don't know about 1000 calories
though. That seems too few. Many nutritionists recommend no fewer than
1200 calories. The 1500 calories you estimate she burns also seems too
low according to what I've read. I would guess it to be closer to
2,000 caloies or a little more given her exercise level. Of course it
is academic, because she can easily determine her maintenance calories
if she keeps good records of calories consumed and keeps her present
exercise schedule. I think she would lose the weight at a reasonable
rate at 1200 cal per day. 1000 cal a day wouldn't kill her, and she
might opt for real quick results like many people who make up their
minds to lose wt. The experts say that isn't the best way, but I
certainly did starve myself initially to get quick results....and I
was able to eventually adjust to a reasonable maintenance diet and
exercise. The side effects for me of serious dieting were sweating a
lot, sleeping poorly and dreaming about food, being freezing cold a
lot of the time, and grouchy. Heck, I'm still grouchy, so I guess the
last one doesn't count. dkw

wow, so the site said 118-155? whew I can't imagine being 118. I would
be all bone! But my goal is 130. I may make it a little higher because
130 really might be too much to lose for me. As of this morning, I am
at 143.6 so I've lost a couple pounds very recently, probably due to
eating fewer calories. some people are telling me they can really tell
I've lost alot and one person today told me I shouldn't go overboard
and that I look great as I am now. But, I was about the same height in
high school and I weighed about 130 my sophomore year and wore about a
size 6. It steadily increased from there. Now I'd like to be back in a
6. I think a 6 is a reasonable size for me. It's average. I think I
would be about 130 to be in a 6.

Interesting though, Doug, that you said a woman's bone structure
changes so she shouldn't try to go back to the previous ideal weight,
pre-baby. I hadn't ever heard that, but it's possible that I could
look too thin at 130 now.

About the clinic, I had pretty much already decided to nixay that
plan. I would hate to hear in 10 years that it was causing cancer and
since it is so new, you never know.
I am going to keep going the same, old-fashioned way- diet and
exercise. I mean, you're right, it IS working and why fix it if it
isn't broken.

I'll keep you all updated if you'd like, unless I am boring you to
death.