An Introduction

JMA wrote:

My only other advice is that when you're physcially capable of it
(now or soon), do some type of resistance or weight training in
addition to walking and other cardio. At your weight you have quite
a bit of lean mass, including muscle, and it's in your long-term best
interest to maintain as much of it as possible.

Best of luck with your progress.

Jenn

Thanks for the welcome, Jenn! Strength training is something I am looking to
incorporate soon. My stepmother wants us to join Curves together. I hear it
can be beneficial for beginners like me, so I'm eager to check it out and
see what's what.


--
PL
320/315/170


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Chris Braun wrote:
Welcome, PL! It sounds like you're on the right course this time.
It's important to remember that this is a permanent life-style change,
and that you can afford to be patient and lose weight gradually and
safely. I lost weight with an approach like yours -- tracking my
intake, eating a healthy but all-inclusive diet, and exercising. I
really want to encourage you to gradually build up the exercise as
you're able. Also, adding some strength training will pay big
dividends, both in revving up your metabolism and in helping you keep
muscle while you lose fat.

Good luck! We're here for you; don't hesitate to ask for advice or
just for encouragement!

Chris
262/143/ (145-150)

Thanks Chris. I'm sure I'll be needing plenty of advice!

--
PL
320/315/170


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Chris Braun wrote:
Welcome, PL! It sounds like you're on the right course this time.
It's important to remember that this is a permanent life-style change,
and that you can afford to be patient and lose weight gradually and
safely. I lost weight with an approach like yours -- tracking my
intake, eating a healthy but all-inclusive diet, and exercising. I
really want to encourage you to gradually build up the exercise as
you're able. Also, adding some strength training will pay big
dividends, both in revving up your metabolism and in helping you keep
muscle while you lose fat.

Good luck! We're here for you; don't hesitate to ask for advice or
just for encouragement!

Chris
262/143/ (145-150)

Thanks Chris. I'm sure I'll be needing plenty of advice!

--
PL
320/315/170


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"PL" wrote in message
...
JMA wrote:

My only other advice is that when you're physcially capable of it
(now or soon), do some type of resistance or weight training in
addition to walking and other cardio. At your weight you have quite
a bit of lean mass, including muscle, and it's in your long-term best
interest to maintain as much of it as possible.

Best of luck with your progress.

Jenn

Thanks for the welcome, Jenn! Strength training is something I am looking
to
incorporate soon. My stepmother wants us to join Curves together. I hear
it
can be beneficial for beginners like me, so I'm eager to check it out and
see what's what.


Curves is a really good place to start. It's the kind of place where you
get out of it what you put into it and it will help you get some basics. I
worked out there for nearly 2 years before moving on to a regular gym.

Jenn

SnugBear wrote:
PL wrote:

That's one of my big issues. In the past I would use a slip-up as an
excuse. I'd think "screw it" and reach for the Doritos.

Getting over this thinking was a *huge* step in the right direction
for me. Every meal you eat is another chance to get it right. Do it
95% of the time and you'll be in the mindset of a thin person.

Thanks for the advice SnugBear, it's something I really have to work on. I
have a problem with "all or nothing" thinking. If I can't do it perfectly,
might as well not do it at all. This has caused me a ton of grief in my
life.

Btw, I walked off most of my weight. Take the suggestions of adding
some resistance training to heart. I wish I had started sooner but
it's never too late. I'm just using some dumbbells and one of the
workouts from Kriata's site: http://www.stumptuous.com/program8.html
Her site is packed with good information. You've been lurking so you
probably know.

Speaking of resistance training - I was talking to a friend of mine this
afternoon and mentioned I was trying to get healthy and he offered to ship
me an old set of dumbbells he doesn't use anymore. It was his beginner's
set, back when he was just a reed of a guy. (He's packed with muscle now). I
can't wait to get them. I've had Krista's site bookmarked for a while now.
Now I have to start using it.

Welcome to ASD. Once you really change, you'll enjoy this adventure.

Nothing tastes as good as thin feels. :-)

Thanks for the encouragement!

--
PL
320/315/170


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PL wrote:

(Apologies for the length)

I've been lurking here on and off for about a year now and thought it was
time I introduced myself. I'm a 29 year old female, six feet tall, 315
pounds.

Welcome, PL! We've got a few other tall women here, too. It is tricky
to notice when you've gone from "big" to "Big!", isn't it? :-)

But I realize now that I
can't do it alone and I'm looking for some support so I've decided to
finally come out and post. (I've always had a problem admitting I need
help.)

I feel a little like we're a bunch of wise [wo]men bringing gifts to the
new babe! So here I am taking my place in line and here are some of my
suggestions.

There's a book called "Fattitudes" by Wilbert that explores the internal
question of why you chose to become fat. What's in it for you? You
*got* something out of it or you wouldn't have done it. It might be as
simple as preferring fattening foods and a sedentary lifestyle... or it
might be more complex. You need to look deep inside you and face the
payoffs or they're going to sabotage you. They've got a website:
http://www.fattitudes.com/page2.html

Someone else mentioned that scales are not your friend. They really,
really aren't, especially when you begin an exercise program. I much
prefer to track measurements and pictures. There's a free, anonymous
site you can use at http://www.bfltracker.com that tracks nearly every
measurement you might want. It is structured for Body for Life people
but I don't see any reason why everyone couldn't use it. My profile is
there - with before and during pictures - as I've lost 70 pounds over
the past 2 years.

For the past week and a half, I've been walking every day (30 minutes at a
moderate pace) and recording my food intake at Fitday. I'm cutting out as
much sugar as I can (I was a big soda drinker and white bread eater) and
watching my carbs (I'm not low-carbing, just trying to stay balanced). I'm
trying to stay around 1800 calories per day for now.

I honestly don't think this is enough food. Part of what you need to do
is to learn to live without hunger or cravings. As non-intuitive as it
sounds, you need to EAT! I'd eat often if I were you. Pay attention to
when you're most likely to slip up and reach for something... then plan
a snack for that time of day. I find that I MUST have a snack between 3
and 4 or I'm starving and munching the entire time I prepare dinner then
eat everything in sight. You may need an 11 pm snack before bed... in
that case, PLAN to have one. I prefer to eat five times a day. It
really helps with portion control, too, because eating a tiny amount of
food is okay if I know I'm going to eat again in three hours.

Anyway, the rule of thumb to avoid starvation response is to stay above
8x your weight in calories. For you, that's more like 2400 calories.

You'll need to adjust that down as you get closer, but take it in
stages. You're much, much more likely to succeed.

There are a lot of lessons I've learned on this journey. It's a bit
overwhelming to throw them all at you in one post. Suffice it to say
that my weight plan has five steps and each step has its own challenges
and learning curve. I certainly haven't tackled them all at the exact
same time! Here are the steps:

1. Change my mind
2. Eat less
3. Exercise more
4. Repeat
5. Forever

Dally
244/175/168

julianne wrote:

I love to walk. I do four miles each morning. I forget all about it
being a healthy thing to do for my body. I spend the time thinking
about my day or nothing at all and just relaxing my addled brain. I
also love to play tennis and do so as frequently as I can. Engaging
in any kind of exercise regardless of how hard or easy it may be is
impossible for me if I don't enjoy it. So, I hope you enjoy walking
but if you don't, my advice would be to find something that you do
enjoy.

I do enjoy walking. I've been lucky so far that even at my heaviest I am
still able to get out and walk (not as far as I use to be able to go, of
course). One of my main long-term goals is to be able to run for thirty
minutes without stopping, something I haven't been able to do since I was a
kid. It's a long way off but it's a major motivator. I'm tired of dragging
around all this weight and not being able to run if I want to (or need to -
I often wonder what I would do if I ever found myself in a situation where I
had to run to save myself. I'm not sure adrenaline can drag 320 pounds too
far and that scares me).

I do not do well with refined carbs at all. For me, the key to
avoiding hunger and cravings is to avoid the insulin surge that
follows eating a meal high in refined sugars and starches. If I do
indulge, I will eat the carbs with protien and good fat to increase
saity. Since reaching goal, I do have a small piece of dark
chocolate each evening but I wouldn't dream of eating anything so
sweet in the middle of the day for fear I would consume the entire
box.

I've never had a huge sweet tooth, so avoiding sweets isn't too much of a
problem. I do love my refined carbs though, especially pasta and bread. I'm
trying to cut it out to see how I feel without it.

I like the idea of mini goals. Also, if you are like most people,
you will undoubtedly do everything right for a period of weeks and
not see any weight come off. This is so very frustrating. A good
friend during that time will be a tape measure. When I hit those
weeks on end without loss, they would usually be followed a week
where I lost four or five pounds.

Thanks for the reminder. I'm adding a tape measure to my shopping list right
now.

One thing that I have been doing which is very scary for me is
throwing out all my old clothes that no longer fit. I think in the
back of my mind I was hanging onto some things as a safety net. It
is mentally challenging to remove whatever safety nets you have in
place.

Congratulations on doing something that frightens you. I would have a hard
time doing that as well.

I am not much for detailed planning but I know of at least two places
where I can get a meal on the run during the day for those days when
I forget to pack something to eat. Because these places also serve
other foods that I really love, I will try to take an early lunch so
I am not too hungry when I get there and order my salad before I get
too weak to make good choices.

Good luck. I like your attitude. I expect that you will be most
successful.

From your lips to the big kahuna's ears.

--
PL
320/315/170



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"PL" wrote in message ...
(Apologies for the length)

For the past week and a half, I've been walking every day (30 minutes at a
moderate pace) and recording my food intake at Fitday. I'm cutting out as
much sugar as I can (I was a big soda drinker and white bread eater) and
watching my carbs (I'm not low-carbing, just trying to stay balanced). I'm
trying to stay around 1800 calories per day for now. I've lost about five
pounds so far. I'm trying to keep in mind that this isn't a diet, it's a
permanent change. My goal is to get down to between 160 and 170.

Sounds like a good plan. Losing 150lbs @ 2lbs/week is a year and a
half, but not that long considering you're under 30 still and have a
lifetime of less weight on the other side. In fact, *if* you treat the
new WOE (way of eating) as a WOL (way of life), you shouldn't find any
difference between the diet you're on now and what you'll be doing
once the losing is done.

I'm no expert, but IMV the important thing for long-term weight loss
is to not try to lose too much too fast. A lot of weight lost this
month will mean less weight next month. Since you're in this for the
long term, just let it work off naturally, don't try to force it. But
be deadly serious about sticking to the plan, whatever it is -- don't
make temporary excuses to go off & on it, but don't worry about
tweaking the plan as you go.

Heywood

232/185/182

Dally wrote:

Welcome, PL! We've got a few other tall women here, too. It is
tricky to notice when you've gone from "big" to "Big!", isn't it? :-)

Oh yeah. I always used to tell myself that I was tall enough to "carry the
weight well". Ha! One of my big eye openers was seeing some vacation pics
from New Orleans and realizing that I was carrying my weight well all
right - I was carrying it on my ass, my stomach, my chin, my back and just
about eveywhere else. I looked like a sausage in those pics. My face was so
swollen I didn't recognize myself. I was standing next to my male friend,
who is 5'10" and 170 pounds of muscle and I dwarfed him! It's so unsettling.
I don't even know what I actually look like anymore.

I feel a little like we're a bunch of wise [wo]men bringing gifts to
the new babe! So here I am taking my place in line and here are some
of my suggestions.

I'll take all the suggestoins I can get. And even though I haven't been
losing until recently, the time I spent lurking here has really taught me a
lot. But I have a habit of spending a lot of time *thinking* about things
instead of *doing* something about them. So I decided to just jump in and go
for it.

There's a book called "Fattitudes" by Wilbert that explores the
internal question of why you chose to become fat. What's in it for
you? You *got* something out of it or you wouldn't have done it. It
might be as simple as preferring fattening foods and a sedentary
lifestyle... or it might be more complex. You need to look deep
inside you and face the payoffs or they're going to sabotage you.
They've got a website: http://www.fattitudes.com/page2.html

Thanks for the link. A lot of what's written there really strikes a chord.

Someone else mentioned that scales are not your friend. They really,
really aren't, especially when you begin an exercise program. I much
prefer to track measurements and pictures. There's a free, anonymous
site you can use at http://www.bfltracker.com that tracks nearly every
measurement you might want. It is structured for Body for Life people
but I don't see any reason why everyone couldn't use it. My profile
is there - with before and during pictures - as I've lost 70 pounds
over the past 2 years.

I saw your progress pics and you have done an amazing job! Your body has
changed so drastically.

I honestly don't think this is enough food.

Yeah, getting my daily intake on track is a big concern. I don't want to go
too low because I know where that road leads - to failure. But at the same
time, 2400 calories seems like so much food to me. Well, it's not a lot
compared to what I was eating, but it feels like a lot when it comes to
losing. Of course I've had such horrible food issues for so long that I'm
not sure what's normal anymore. I do know I don't want to lose too fast.
I'll try upping my calories to around 2400 a day and see what happens.

Part of what you need to
do is to learn to live without hunger or cravings. As non-intuitive
as it sounds, you need to EAT! I'd eat often if I were you. Pay
attention to when you're most likely to slip up and reach for
something... then plan a snack for that time of day. I find that I
MUST have a snack between 3 and 4 or I'm starving and munching the
entire time I prepare dinner then eat everything in sight. You may
need an 11 pm snack before bed... in that case, PLAN to have one. I
prefer to eat five times a day. It really helps with portion
control, too, because eating a tiny amount of food is okay if I know
I'm going to eat again in three hours.

This what I am doing - eating small meals throughout the day. I'm basically
trying to do the opposite of what made me fat. When I overeat, I tend to go
all day without eating anything and then binge at night. So I'm trying to
spread my calories out.

There are a lot of lessons I've learned on this journey. It's a bit
overwhelming to throw them all at you in one post. Suffice it to say
that my weight plan has five steps and each step has its own
challenges and learning curve. I certainly haven't tackled them all
at the exact same time! Here are the steps:

1. Change my mind
2. Eat less
3. Exercise more
4. Repeat
5. Forever

I think I might print that out in huge letters and hang it on the wall.

--
PL
320/315/170


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Heywood Mogroot wrote:

Sounds like a good plan. Losing 150lbs @ 2lbs/week is a year and a
half, but not that long considering you're under 30 still and have a
lifetime of less weight on the other side. In fact, *if* you treat the
new WOE (way of eating) as a WOL (way of life), you shouldn't find any
difference between the diet you're on now and what you'll be doing
once the losing is done.

That's what I am trying to acheive. Unfortunately, in the past, even though
I know better on an intellectual level, I've always looked at losing weight
as going on a diet. Even though I knew it was self-defeating I've also had a
hard time getting rid of the delusion that one day it'll just be the "right
time" and it will all magically become easy. I'm very good at deluding
myself.

I'm no expert, but IMV the important thing for long-term weight loss
is to not try to lose too much too fast. A lot of weight lost this
month will mean less weight next month. Since you're in this for the
long term, just let it work off naturally, don't try to force it. But
be deadly serious about sticking to the plan, whatever it is -- don't
make temporary excuses to go off & on it, but don't worry about
tweaking the plan as you go.

My goal is to not lose too fast. It's frustrating sometimes when I think of
how FAR I have to go and how long it's going to take.
--
PL
320/315/170



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