A Big Thank You and Latest Nutritionist Visit (blah)

Hi everyone --

Thanks so much to everyone who made such nice comments on the photos I posted
yesterday. I really needed to get that support after seeing the results of my last
nutritionist's visit.

At my best (maybe October or November visit?) I had been down to 20.2% body fat and
150 lbs. on his scale. Yesterday I was 160 and 26.7% body fat. I cannot believe I
gained this month after all that walking (90 miles in 14 days) and three good weeks
of keeping a food journal. I let the food slide a little (and I mean a little) the
last week with unhappy results.

It's not the weight itself I am concerned about but the increase in body fat while
continuing to lose muscle (despite lots of weight training too). My trainer said
today to mix up the cardio exercise because my body is obviously too used to what I'm
doing (even though I doubled my efforts on endurance), and try cycling, swimming, a
kickboxing class, etc. to confuse my body a little. Also to add intervals (short
bursts of extra intensity) in my walks. So I am going to do so (I already did an
interval walk today), and I am also going to keep a food journal for all four weeks
before my next visit. And if I gain next month, then perhaps it's time for a visit to
my family doctor to be sure my bloodwork still looks good. I can't help but think
that inhaled steroids might also be a problem -- but I've brought this up before
here, and others have said that Advair (sort of like what I take) hasn't affected
their weight loss.

To make myself feel better, I will post the results of my first nutritionist visit
and my most recent one to show myself that I truly have made progress -- I don't want
to get discouraged.

Total Weight:
May 7, 2002: 228.0 lbs
July 5, 2004: 160.2 lbs

Fat Body Weight:
May 7, 2002: 103.3 lbs
July 5, 2004: 42.8 lbs

Lean Body Weight:
May 7, 2002: 124.7 lbs
July 5, 2004: 117.4 lbs

Percent Body Fat:
May 7, 2002: 45.3%
July 5, 2004: 26.7%

Thanks again for your support -- I truly appreciate it!

Mary M
325-160(ugh)-148

"Mary M - Ohio" wrote in message
...
At my best (maybe October or November visit?) I had been down to 20.2%
body fat and
150 lbs. on his scale. Yesterday I was 160 and 26.7% body fat. I cannot
believe I
gained this month after all that walking (90 miles in 14 days) and three
good weeks
of keeping a food journal. I let the food slide a little (and I mean a
little) the
last week with unhappy results.

It's not the weight itself I am concerned about but the increase in body
fat while
continuing to lose muscle (despite lots of weight training too). My
trainer said
today to mix up the cardio exercise because my body is obviously too used
to what I'm
doing (even though I doubled my efforts on endurance), and try cycling,
swimming, a
kickboxing class, etc. to confuse my body a little. Also to add intervals
(short
bursts of extra intensity) in my walks. So I am going to do so (I already
did an
interval walk today), and I am also going to keep a food journal for all
four weeks
before my next visit. And if I gain next month, then perhaps it's time for
a visit to
my family doctor to be sure my bloodwork still looks good. I can't help
but think
that inhaled steroids might also be a problem -- but I've brought this up
before
here, and others have said that Advair (sort of like what I take) hasn't
affected
their weight loss.

To make myself feel better, I will post the results of my first
nutritionist visit
and my most recent one to show myself that I truly have made progress -- I
don't want
to get discouraged.

Hopefully you won't get discouraged after you've done so well for so long!
You're doing everything possible it seems to keep things going in the right
direction so a temporary setback should be seen as just that - temporary. I
definitely can identify with you - bringing down the bf% is a bitch, much
harder than just losing pounds in my personal experience.

Another way you can make yourself feel better is to look at your pictures
again. You are very beautiful and you've worked very hard to get that way.

Jenn

"Ignoramus5599" wrote in message
...
In article , Mary M - Ohio wrote:
of keeping a food journal. I let the food slide a little (and I mean a little)
the
last week with unhappy results.
Scary news... Feels like loss of control etc.

It seems that I do have to watch every bite -- which is not so bad really -- but
sometimes I do get tired of it and just want to "eat like everyone else" -- but that
spelled weight disaster for me before and there is no reason to go back to those
habits. I am talking about a few handfuls of corn chips at a picnic -- or eating
turkey hot dogs at the picnic knowing full well they are way over my sodium
allowance, etc. etc.

here, and others have said that Advair (sort of like what I take) hasn't affected
their weight loss.
Mary, what kind of weight training do you do? Is it actually strenuous
weight training, where after say 10 reps you cannot continue the
exercise?

Yes -- my trainers are very good and mix up each workout so my body doesn't get used
to it -- sometimes we do heavy sets with short reps, sometimes lighter weights with
more reps, increasing the weight for each set.

very good results, the key is to maintain it.

No kidding.

As a matter of decision making, I would actually do bloodwork. Also, I
would publicly post the food log and exercise log.

Well I wouldn't, because I don't want a lot of unsolicited advice. All my life people
have advised me on how to lose weight and I don't want to open myself up to a bunch
of extraneous "noise." I am paying my nutritionist to do the job and I decided a long
time ago that as long as I was paying him, I wasn't going to listen to anyone else. I
am tired of years of conflicting advice that did nothing but confuse and paralyze me.
I do write down my food and exercise daily.

Also, most people here have a very different weight history than I do, and what works
for them will not necessarily work for me. As my nutritionist explained, a person
like you and others who have gained weight in adulthood can lose it very easily with
moderate discipline -- he said it really doesn't take that much. On the other hand,
someone who has been overweight their entire lives (and who has exceeded 300 lbs.)
has a much tougher road and it's almost unheard of for us to reach goal and stay
there because of the many issues involved. Also, he said many factors are working
against me right now -- age, hormones, being female, and the significant efforts of
my body to return to its former weight.

Do you weigh your food?

Yes, I weigh or measure only the items I need to count (protein, fruit, grains) -- I
never measure or weigh vegetables.

your calorie needs decrease
also. Maybe you need to take that into consideration.

We have already addressed that because he's cut out numerous serving allowances over
time, which he reviews regularly.

What is the percentage of fat/carbs/protein do you have in your diet?

I don't know per se -- my plan allows 15 oz. of protein, 3 fruit servings, 4 grain
servings, 2T olive oil, unlimited vegetables.

When you slip up, is it like complete loss of control, or just
snacking here and there?

Seems to be snacking here and there with an occasional out-of-control -- such as the
other night when I ate a whole bag of microwave popcorn and a small bag of cashews.
Had I been keeping the food journal, I never would have eaten those, so my key is
keeping the food journal. And staying away from carb-heavy snacks which can easily
spiral out of control. He wants me to snack on protein more.

As I said earlier, you were my original inspiration, so, please, do
not let me down.

Thanks, Ig -- I don't plan on letting either of us down. :-)

Mary

"Ignoramus5599" wrote in message
...
In article , Mary M - Ohio wrote:
of keeping a food journal. I let the food slide a little (and I mean a little)
the
last week with unhappy results.
Scary news... Feels like loss of control etc.

It seems that I do have to watch every bite -- which is not so bad really -- but
sometimes I do get tired of it and just want to "eat like everyone else" -- but that
spelled weight disaster for me before and there is no reason to go back to those
habits. I am talking about a few handfuls of corn chips at a picnic -- or eating
turkey hot dogs at the picnic knowing full well they are way over my sodium
allowance, etc. etc.

here, and others have said that Advair (sort of like what I take) hasn't affected
their weight loss.
Mary, what kind of weight training do you do? Is it actually strenuous
weight training, where after say 10 reps you cannot continue the
exercise?

Yes -- my trainers are very good and mix up each workout so my body doesn't get used
to it -- sometimes we do heavy sets with short reps, sometimes lighter weights with
more reps, increasing the weight for each set.

very good results, the key is to maintain it.

No kidding.

As a matter of decision making, I would actually do bloodwork. Also, I
would publicly post the food log and exercise log.

Well I wouldn't, because I don't want a lot of unsolicited advice. All my life people
have advised me on how to lose weight and I don't want to open myself up to a bunch
of extraneous "noise." I am paying my nutritionist to do the job and I decided a long
time ago that as long as I was paying him, I wasn't going to listen to anyone else. I
am tired of years of conflicting advice that did nothing but confuse and paralyze me.
I do write down my food and exercise daily.

Also, most people here have a very different weight history than I do, and what works
for them will not necessarily work for me. As my nutritionist explained, a person
like you and others who have gained weight in adulthood can lose it very easily with
moderate discipline -- he said it really doesn't take that much. On the other hand,
someone who has been overweight their entire lives (and who has exceeded 300 lbs.)
has a much tougher road and it's almost unheard of for us to reach goal and stay
there because of the many issues involved. Also, he said many factors are working
against me right now -- age, hormones, being female, and the significant efforts of
my body to return to its former weight.

Do you weigh your food?

Yes, I weigh or measure only the items I need to count (protein, fruit, grains) -- I
never measure or weigh vegetables.

your calorie needs decrease
also. Maybe you need to take that into consideration.

We have already addressed that because he's cut out numerous serving allowances over
time, which he reviews regularly.

What is the percentage of fat/carbs/protein do you have in your diet?

I don't know per se -- my plan allows 15 oz. of protein, 3 fruit servings, 4 grain
servings, 2T olive oil, unlimited vegetables.

When you slip up, is it like complete loss of control, or just
snacking here and there?

Seems to be snacking here and there with an occasional out-of-control -- such as the
other night when I ate a whole bag of microwave popcorn and a small bag of cashews.
Had I been keeping the food journal, I never would have eaten those, so my key is
keeping the food journal. And staying away from carb-heavy snacks which can easily
spiral out of control. He wants me to snack on protein more.

As I said earlier, you were my original inspiration, so, please, do
not let me down.

Thanks, Ig -- I don't plan on letting either of us down. :-)

Mary

"JMA" wrote in message ...
Hopefully you won't get discouraged after you've done so well for so long!
You're doing everything possible it seems to keep things going in the right
direction so a temporary setback should be seen as just that - temporary. I
definitely can identify with you - bringing down the bf% is a bitch, much
harder than just losing pounds in my personal experience.

Another way you can make yourself feel better is to look at your pictures
again. You are very beautiful and you've worked very hard to get that way.

Thank you, Jenn -- I do think this is temporary -- heck, yesterday I weighed 157.5
and today I was 154 -- so I think Sunday's "Salt-Fest" had something to do with
weighing 160 at my doctor's (which would be 158 at home). I'm just going to keep
plugging away at eating right and exercising -- thanks for your support and nice
words -- I truly appreciate it.

Mary

"JMA" wrote in message ...
Hopefully you won't get discouraged after you've done so well for so long!
You're doing everything possible it seems to keep things going in the right
direction so a temporary setback should be seen as just that - temporary. I
definitely can identify with you - bringing down the bf% is a bitch, much
harder than just losing pounds in my personal experience.

Another way you can make yourself feel better is to look at your pictures
again. You are very beautiful and you've worked very hard to get that way.

Thank you, Jenn -- I do think this is temporary -- heck, yesterday I weighed 157.5
and today I was 154 -- so I think Sunday's "Salt-Fest" had something to do with
weighing 160 at my doctor's (which would be 158 at home). I'm just going to keep
plugging away at eating right and exercising -- thanks for your support and nice
words -- I truly appreciate it.

Mary

On 7/6/2004 4:33 PM, Mary M - Ohio wrote:
Hi everyone --

Thanks so much to everyone who made such nice comments on the photos I posted
yesterday. I really needed to get that support after seeing the results of my last
nutritionist's visit.

Mary,

I know that you are doing great and it sounds like you are on track with
your walking and food journal. I really meant it when I said how much I
enjoyed our pedometer challenge and I really do think that another one
in the future would be great. It certainly inspired me to do that
little bit more each day. You really are making good progress from a
Big Picture perspective. Hang in there, it will all come together for you!

--
jmk in NC

On 7/7/2004 10:06 AM, Mary M - Ohio wrote:
"JMA" wrote in message ...

Hopefully you won't get discouraged after you've done so well for so long!
You're doing everything possible it seems to keep things going in the right
direction so a temporary setback should be seen as just that - temporary. I
definitely can identify with you - bringing down the bf% is a bitch, much
harder than just losing pounds in my personal experience.

Another way you can make yourself feel better is to look at your pictures
again. You are very beautiful and you've worked very hard to get that way.


Thank you, Jenn -- I do think this is temporary -- heck, yesterday I weighed 157.5
and today I was 154 -- so I think Sunday's "Salt-Fest" had something to do with
weighing 160 at my doctor's (which would be 158 at home). I'm just going to keep
plugging away at eating right and exercising -- thanks for your support and nice
words -- I truly appreciate it.

Mary


Yeah, I did pretty well over the weekend -- except for salt. We had
brats and turkey italian sausage. I had the sausage and some cole slaw,
etc. Calorie wise I did great. Salt-wise, I was off the charts. I am
down 1.5 pounds from yesterday...

--
jmk in NC

On 7/7/2004 10:06 AM, Mary M - Ohio wrote:
"JMA" wrote in message ...

Hopefully you won't get discouraged after you've done so well for so long!
You're doing everything possible it seems to keep things going in the right
direction so a temporary setback should be seen as just that - temporary. I
definitely can identify with you - bringing down the bf% is a bitch, much
harder than just losing pounds in my personal experience.

Another way you can make yourself feel better is to look at your pictures
again. You are very beautiful and you've worked very hard to get that way.


Thank you, Jenn -- I do think this is temporary -- heck, yesterday I weighed 157.5
and today I was 154 -- so I think Sunday's "Salt-Fest" had something to do with
weighing 160 at my doctor's (which would be 158 at home). I'm just going to keep
plugging away at eating right and exercising -- thanks for your support and nice
words -- I truly appreciate it.

Mary


Yeah, I did pretty well over the weekend -- except for salt. We had
brats and turkey italian sausage. I had the sausage and some cole slaw,
etc. Calorie wise I did great. Salt-wise, I was off the charts. I am
down 1.5 pounds from yesterday...

--
jmk in NC

"Mary M - Ohio" wrote in message
...
"Ignoramus5599" wrote in message
...
As a matter of decision making, I would actually do bloodwork. Also, I
would publicly post the food log and exercise log.

Well I wouldn't, because I don't want a lot of unsolicited advice. All my
life people
have advised me on how to lose weight and I don't want to open myself up
to a bunch
of extraneous "noise." I am paying my nutritionist to do the job and I
decided a long
time ago that as long as I was paying him, I wasn't going to listen to
anyone else. I
am tired of years of conflicting advice that did nothing but confuse and
paralyze me.
I do write down my food and exercise daily.

Also, most people here have a very different weight history than I do, and
what works
for them will not necessarily work for me. As my nutritionist explained, a
person
like you and others who have gained weight in adulthood can lose it very
easily with
moderate discipline -- he said it really doesn't take that much. On the
other hand,
someone who has been overweight their entire lives (and who has exceeded
300 lbs.)
has a much tougher road and it's almost unheard of for us to reach goal
and stay
there because of the many issues involved. Also, he said many factors are
working
against me right now -- age, hormones, being female, and the significant
efforts of
my body to return to its former weight.

This is very well stated Mary and a completely sensible point of view though
I doubt it will be understood by all. It really is different for people who
spent a lifetime not just chubby or pudgy, but fat, overweight, or obese.
The doctor I've been working with on my hormone thing says that the two
leading issues for most obese women are History (how long have you been
overweight and to what extent) and Hormones (where you are in relation to
menopause). Regardless of the method I used to lose weight, she really
thinks I'd have the same difficulty in keeping it off because of exactly
what your nutritionist said.

Unfortunately, dieting has become like religion and politics - some people
just know "the truth" and can't get it through their heads that not everyone
is like them or like the person next to them. What works for one person can
be a complete disaster for the next person.

After all of the weight you've lost and the significant percentage you've
continued to keep off, you certainly know what is best for you. And I'll
bet you didn't even figure it out "accidentally."

Jenn