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  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    mkwood...that is sweet. My husband doesn't have a jealous bone in his body.
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    BOOPIS67...I think that your weight lose goal is possible. It is about 6 pounds a month.
  • StiringWendel
    StiringWendel Posts: 3,813 Member
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    Good morning everybody. It is good to see so many new people posting! I love what I learn from the experiences of others.

    I spent the last week at a conference in Colorado. I had just reached my 'goal' weight (of 120) the day before I left. I was very nervous about how I was going to maintain that while eating away from home for 8 days. It was a challenge, but I didn't cheat once (meaning no sweets, alcohol or junk food like fries/chips/etc) while gone. I worked out (on a treadmill) for six days while gone (and really pushed my heart rate up there because of the altitude!!) The only really 'unhealthy' thing I ate was an Arby's roast beef sandwich one night for dinner (just the sandwich....no fries or anything). It fit into my calorie allowance, so I didn't mind choosing that as my first fast food meal since January (though I will admit that my thought after my first bite all I could think was 'OMG it is salty!!'...I guess after not eating out for three months at all, my tastebuds just aren't used to those sodium levels).

    I got home yesterday and weighed myself.....and I was down two more pounds last week. :noway: I think that was due to it being my recovery week from STS more than from my eating while gone. But that's a much better result than I was expecting from being gone for eight days (mild understatement there). So last night I actually allowed myself my first real cheat in nearly three months--some dark chocolate covered cranberries, blueberries and almonds. Just 1/4 cup....but boy did they taste good!!

    This morning I weighed 117.4, which has me down nearly 26 pounds since the first of January. I bought my first EVER size 2 pair of pants while I was in Colorado. Another :noway: moment for me! But I'm still scared about maintaining it.

    However, one of the things I noticed while I was away is that my way of thinking about food has changed significantly. I am looking at it much more from the nutritional viewpoint than I ever have in my life....because I've always primarily focused on taste before. And my tastes are changing too. I am finding that I no longer really crave alot of the junk food anymore. I think I could go the rest of my life without eating another potato chip if I'm being honest. There just isn't any appeal there for me. So that's a good sign (I hope).

    What I plan to do over the next seven weeks (the second cycle of STS and the amount of time I'll be at home before going away again) is really work at crafting a reasonable maintenance plan. I want to be able to cheat at times (like if I want a glass of wine), but as with my chocolate last night, my goal is to make sure that any less-than-ideal choice I make fits into my calorie allowance. I think, for me, the challenge is to figure out what that calorie allowance can be to maintain this weight. I think it will end up being about 1800 calories a day average, which is very doable as long as I'm not eating out and such.

    I'm still frustrated by how hard it is to eat healthy in this country, though. On our trip out, we were subject to a five hour delay at the airport. I had planned my food for that day, expecting to be in Colorado in time for dinner. Well....that didn't work. So I was forced to find some food in the airport. Boy, not only was that expensive but the healthy options were incredibly limited. I ended up with a turkey/avocado sandwich on wheat bread (which was probably pretty high in calories, but I was okay with that at the time), but I understand why so many people opt for McDonalds instead because that would have been so much cheaper than the $10 for my sandwich. Again, very frustrating.

    I'm starting the muscle building phase of STS today, and I can't wait! I think I will love this next cycle of this series. Last night as my husband and I were driving to Trader Joe's for my chocolate, and he remarked that for all of my weight losses (and I've done this a few times!), he thinks this one has transformed my body the most. I credit most of that to this workout regime I'm doing. So I'm totally psyched to continue.

    duffy, I'm sorry to hear about your neck. I wish you the best in your race!

    And all that talk about Germany made me homesick! My husband and I lived in Germany for seven years (we were stationed at Ramstein AB). Those were good times (and good food). When we moved back from Germany the last time (in 2006), I shipped 200 bottles of wine with me. That may explain my love/love relationship with wine. But at least I still have about 80 of those bottles left so I've managed to control myself....a little. :tongue:

    Hope this finds everybody doing well.
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Stiring!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: I missed you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are truly my hero and my inspiration!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drinker: :drinker: Please, PLEASE, tell me exactly what you are doing!!!!! Where can I find trusting sites with BMR and AMR calculators. It also does pay to eat clean and give out junk/eating out/alcohol for a while. You probably remember when I posted about me feeling bad telling my husband I was not going to eat out or drink for a while to get to my goal. I still feel the same way, unfortunately. :grumble: :grumble: I know, I know...I have that "please others mentality before me syndrome" At my age!!!! :noway: :noway: Glad to have you back!!

    As far as a healthier mentality, I am definitely there, not 100% but pretty high. I also get frustrated at the poor options in restaurants, etc. I am not craving junk food either. There was a box of krispy kreme doughnuts in the break room yesterday and my first thought was "YUCK!!" In the past I would have eaten one and packed one or two for my husband and son. I told my husband and he said "how come you did not bring me one?" And I told him that he does not need it...:laugh: :laugh: Also last night I had the option to eat a chocolate chip muffin I made with healthy ingredients at 158 calories but I decided to have strawberries with sugar free chocolate pudding, 1 tbsp of whipped cream and 1 tbsp of milled flaxseed instead...so yummy and more satisfying than the muffin.

    I did a Zumba class this morning. I only burned 437 cals in 57 minutes. I was going pretty high impact in most songs. I used to burn 500-600 cals before. It is funny how it backfires on you when you get healthier and lose weight, you have to work extra hard to burn more. :grumble: It is a high calorie day for me, 1743 cals, still zig zagging, and that was planned so I can eat more etc, going out tonight with hubby to eat and dance. The dancing will help burn some more.

    Happy Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :flowerforyou:
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    StiringWendel...you are such a wonderful inspiration for all of us. I realize, while reading what you wrote, that I cheat way too much. Can I ask how tall you are? I haven't been 117 pounds since 1974. I got down to 139 in 1998 and looked bad. It was really too thin for me, though I would love to be able to say that is what I weigh. The sandwich you got at the airport sounds yummy. That is my kind of food. I like to go to Panera Bread and get their turkey-artichoke sandwich but the bread it comes on isn't as healthy as yours. I have always had trouble keeping my weight down after reaching my goal. I haven't reached any goals since 1998 and then the weight came back. It could have been due to the fact that I got divorced in 1999. So, I would be very interested in hearing your plan to keep at your target weight.
  • tron3002
    tron3002 Posts: 440 Member
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    I bought myself a Wii fit board. Has anyone tried this? I actually am pretty sore today so hopefully it will give me that extra jump start to achieving my goal. :happy:
  • tron3002
    tron3002 Posts: 440 Member
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    I am 5' 2" and right now I am 125. I did lose 30 lbs by doing the 6 week body makeover diet, actually lost them pretty quickly. After I went off the diet I went up 5 lbs to 115. Not quite where I wanted to be but I was happy being 25 lbs thinner. My actual goal isn't on the scale but my waist size. I did manage to keep it off for a year but I have recently gained 10 more lbs which scares me to death. After eating the same thing day in and day out, I don't want to go back on that diet. I'd much rather watch what I am eating and start exercising. I appreciate all of the support that I can get. I dont have much at home and working out as well as watching what I eat is sometimes a challenge when your doing it alone.
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    Hi Tron...you won't be alone here. There are lots of people willing to help and encourage you. If you are working out then it is a good idea to go by waist size as opposed to what the scales say. Muscle does weigh more than fat. I do not know what the 6 week body makeover diet is. Do you have to eat the same foods all the time? That would get old. It sounds like you have a good plan. Just eat healthy and get your exercise.
  • tron3002
    tron3002 Posts: 440 Member
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    Thanks for the encouragement Swissmiss... The 6 week body make over does have different foods you can eat, I just stayed on the rapid plan which is where you have to eat every two hours and its basically just chicken and vegetables. I did lose weight quickly, 9lbs the first week alone, but eating the same thing so many times a day for weeks you just cant stand it after a while. I just dont want to be on a "diet" for the rest of my life. I figure that if I tone up it will be easier to maintain and be able to enjoy a little some thing on occasion. :happy:
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    Yep, toning is the thing to work for, tron. You will burn a lot more calories with those muscles you are building up.
  • StiringWendel
    StiringWendel Posts: 3,813 Member
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    alf and Swissmiss, thanks for the welcome back and the kind words. You make me feel so good!

    alf, I use the calculators on www.caloriesperhour.com. It is under the 'Calories Burned' tab up top and is a calculator for BMR and RMR, but will also give you your AMR. This puts my AMR at about 1400 calories a day, which is about what MFP calculates my maintenance calories need to be.

    Swissmiss, I'm 5'2". Last time I was 117 was about 17 years ago! Like tron3002, I probably could get down to 110 pounds (where I spent most of my early 20s) and still be very healthy. But, to be honest, there is no way I can maintain that weight at my age. My maintenance calories would be something like 1250 a day without exercise (which is less than I was eating when I was losing the weight), and the calories burned exercising (as alf pointed out yesterday) become much less as well. I don't think if I were 110 that I'd ever be able to eat over 1600 calories a day to maintain that weight (and that would be working out very hard everyday) and, quite frankly, that's just not worth it to me. That's the primary reason I set my goal weight at 120. That isn't the lowest I can go, but it certainly is the lowest I think I can go with any hope of maintaining the weight over any extended period of time.

    tron3002, you and I are virtually the same size. I just lost 26 pounds, which brought me down to 117. Like I explained above, I think it would be almost impossible for me to maintain this weight if I weren't exercising (and even then I'm not so sure I can maintain it yet!), so I think your idea of starting an exercise program is a good idea. I've not tried wii fit, but I've heard great things about it. I think virtually all of us on this thread are doing different exercise programs, so if you have any questions about something, please feel free to ask. I'm sure somebody will be able to help you. Just be aware that you may actually gain weight/size when starting to exercise. It is temporary (as long as you are eating well!) so don't let that stop you!

    I did day 1 of the second cycle (muscle building) of STS yesterday. It was a 65 minute chest/shoulder/tricep workout. Yowza! My arms are hurtin' this morning! I think I'm going to do about an hour of step aerobics today. Hopefully that will loosen them up.

    alf, I'm curious to hear your thoughts about ChaLean when you start doing it. The more I learn about the program, the more I'm interested in trying it.

    I hope everybody has a good Sunday!
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Good morning!!!! Oh boy, I overdid it last night. I don't feel sick because I drank a lot of water but I did drink more than I wanted to and ate mexican food at 1am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CRAZY!!!! :grumble: Alcohol does make you do bad bad bad things. :laugh: :laugh:

    Oh well, today is another day. I am getting ready to go out for a run. It is a shorter route I take, 4.4 miles. Looking forward to it. The weather is really nice.

    Stiring, so you ate 1400 cals and still lost the weight or those are the calories you are eating now for maintenance? I will check out the calculators when I come back from my run. What is STS? I just told my husband I am ordering Chalean Extreme and he said "why? whatever you are doing is working for you. You have everything for fitness that you can possibly have, blah blah blah..." It makes me feel guilty to get it in a way but I do want to try something different. So, I am ordering it this afternoon...:happy:

    Tron, focus on eating well most of the time and exercising. You will lose the 10lbs you gained in no time. I would not go back to that diet again. It sounds too strict and boring and besides you know that after going off the diet you will gain some back. I think you are thinking of a good plan for yourself that you can do indefinitely.

    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • MillerLight
    MillerLight Posts: 9
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    Hello!

    I'm new to all of this - just starting the weight loss adventure (again) this week and have lost 1.5 pounds so far.....just by monitoring daily snacks. Have a long way to go though! I am looking forward to communicating with all of you and hearing all of your success stories! T. :smile:
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Did y'all think I abandoned you? Good Monday morning! I tend to get quite busy on the weekend, and especially so since yesterday was Palm Sunday. This week will be hectic, but I am determined to exercise and eat well.

    All that talk about dancing got me thinking...from a man's perspective, dancing is not always an enjoyable endeavor. If your husbands are anything like me, we are total and complete clods...oafs..(insert your own description). It can't be because I am not coordinated. I was athletic all my life. It can't be because I am not musical. I have a Master's Degree in Music. Why is it that we cannot dance? If the evening were filled with slow, romantic, CLOSE dancing, OK. But get us out there for somthing fast, well, it looks like we're some awkward pre-teen on a first date. Go figure!

    Anyway, I got to ride my new bike 25miles. It was a blast to ride on a fast bike. I must say, however that my butt is not used to such a firm seat.

    I'll check back with you guys later!
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Alf, I saw your post on another thread about Chalean vs P90X. I'm sure either program would be good for you. We've "known" each other for a while now, and I pretty much know your activity level and goals. It all boils down to which program you would be most comfortable with. I've done P90X and it works well, but it is an intense strength training program, with some added cardio. My impression of Chalean is that it does do strength training, but there is an emphasis on cardio. I think that I recall you mentioning going to the gym also. Are you planning to do both? Currently, I go to the gym and ride my bike. If I have any energy (ambition), some evenings I will pop in a P90X cd and do at least part of it. At any rate, the Beachbody products are well worth the money IMHO!!!
  • eriny
    eriny Posts: 1,509 Member
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    hello everbody been out a week for family :happy: , no workout lots of :drinker:
    so today 100 situps 100 pushups time to hang with my fellow p90xers :flowerforyou:
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Good morning!!! I already did a lower body/abs strength trng workout and a little bit of cardio on the stationary bike. I did not burn mega calories. It is sooo hard to burn a lot of calories now unless I workout for hrs :grumble: Not willing to do that :laugh:

    Singfree, thank you for your advice. I did order ChaLean Extreme yesterday. I can't wait to get it and see what it is all about. From what I've seen and heard she does emphasize on weight training. There is a cardio dvd but it is mostly strength trng. It appeals to me because the workouts are not as long as P90X. Right now I can squeeze one hr of a morning workout but no longer than that. I have always been a morning exerciser and if I have to workout in the evening I know I am not going to do well with it. On weekends I have more time of course but I tend to use that time to run outdoors or go to a Zumba class on Sat mornings since it is not so crowded.

    Happy Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:flowerforyou:
  • psilva78227
    psilva78227 Posts: 40 Member
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    Sorry... I missed the friday reporting. I was at the docs all day then my computer at home has crashed!

    I lost 1.5 lbs last week :flowerforyou: I am only .5 lbs away from my short term goal for this coming Saturday (my 41st BD). I am pretty positive that I can do it. Yea! I will let you know. :)
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Good work, psilva! Eat clean and exercise faithfully this week and you WILL reach your goal.
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    Sorry... I missed the friday reporting. I was at the docs all day then my computer at home has crashed!

    I lost 1.5 lbs last week :flowerforyou: I am only .5 lbs away from my short term goal for this coming Saturday (my 41st BD). I am pretty positive that I can do it. Yea! I will let you know. :)

    :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: .5lb???? So you can pretty much say you reached your goal!! :drinker: :drinker: Congrats!!! :flowerforyou:

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