Over 200 Club Back to School (open group)

jennbarrette

I totally understand your vent Momma, I am 5'4", I think I am suppose to weight 120? I probably haven't weight that since I was 10 years old. I will very happy to be around 165. Which is like another 90 pounds away! But, I can do it. I will do it, and by doing I will be setting a great example for my kids, and it will be my great accomplishment to conquer something that has been an issue for me my entire life.

LittleSpy

Anyone got any student budget eating tips?

I was a student not too long ago but I know I had to have more money then than I do now. :laugh: My BF is in school and I plan to go back for my Master's next year so we're on a super tight budget now. I'm working 3 jobs right now (1 full time, 2 part time).

The way we get by eating healthy is with the way I cook. I've become a pretty decent cook over the last few years and I make most things from scratch. For instance, I just made a stew/soup that we'll get at least 10-12 servings out of. It's absolutely delicious and I paid about $8 for the ingredients. So, if we get 10 servings out of it, that's 80 cents/serving and it's super healthy!
If you get tired of meal leftovers quickly, you can freeze most of the recipe (we portion it in individual containers so we can just grab one & heat it up later). I eat leftovers for lunch a lot. Once you start freezing your servings, you can build up quite a selection so you don't have to eat the same thing several days in a row.

Soups, stews, and chilis are a great way to fill your tummy with healthy food on a budget. They freeze well, too.

Also, FROZEN VEGETABLES. I rarely buy fresh veggies because it seems like they spoil before I have time to use them all. I hit the sales on frozen veggies at the grocery store and just stock up like crazy. I also look at the sales papers for 3 grocery stores that are on my way home from work and I'll shop at all 3 in one week if the sales are worth it. You can really save a lot of money that way. I'm up to my eyeballs in frozen veggies, potatoes, and apples right now because of all the buy one get one free sales recently at a couple of stores. :laugh:

andreasoulcastle

Hi everyone,

I am back! I fell of the wagon with my eating, and was really feeling depressed and ashamed of myself, so I disappeared for a while. I wasn't even weighting myself. I did keep up with my exercise, and today I finally stepped on the scale (after 3 or 4 weeks of avoiding it) and I have lost another 2 pounds.

I am trying my best to get back my motivation to eat well, but it is a real struggle, and with the holiday season quickly approaching (it was Thanksgiving here in Canada this Monday) I have decided to just do my best and make sure not to gain any weight back,

I wanted to thank Momma for checking in on me. It really helped me try and focus and know that if I didn't come back I wouldn't just be letting myself down. Each time on of us fails or succeeds it can affect us all.

I am now 1 pound away from 60 pounds lost, and I will lose that pound this week!

Good to see you again, missed you. Holiday season is going to be hard but we can do it!!! I know that pound will come off fast, you have done a great job and don't forget that! I get the same way when i fall off the wagon, kinda just don't want to deal with it so I can see where you are coming from with that.

andreasoulcastle

thx everyone for the tips very helpful menu and soups mmm..also was reading about you ladies n your high school weights. This brought up some old feelings for me. I am 5'7 pretty tall, n they say my healthy weight is 150....however, lol, the only thing is I don't remember ever being 150.

I was over 200 my sophomore year and have always been considered a "chubby" girl, my height helped me a little but not much. Proms, boyfriends, popularity was almost non existent. I am trying to get to be thinner then what I was in high school, because I have never experience "normality" I guess. It is sad that I am young still, and overweight...and that size 18 are my skinny jeans..when 18 is still considered fat (my family/friends can be critical sometimes).

My boyfriend, however, is the only one that is not critical (he is a big guy himself). I feel lucky to have him, he has changed my life and how I view myself. Because of him it no longer matters what some of my old friends say, what my sisters say sometimes. We have made new more positive friends, and I feel that my life is changing for the better! We have both lost weight and for once I actually feel like I don't need to get to 150 to feel good about myself, I can get to 200 and be happy, although I am going to still go after my goal.

Sorry for venting, just brought up old feelings..who knows maybe I will be hot for my high school reunion....that would be cool.

Andrea

snowflakes

I totally understand your vent Momma, I am 5'4", I think I am suppose to weight 120? I probably haven't weight that since I was 10 years old. I will very happy to be around 165. Which is like another 90 pounds away! But, I can do it. I will do it, and by doing I will be setting a great example for my kids, and it will be my great accomplishment to conquer something that has been an issue for me my entire life.

WOW! So close to 60 pounds. That is fantastic. It sounds like you kept the weight off while you took your leave. Way to go.

Everyone have a great day. It is a beatuiful day and the fall air is so refreshing. Drink your water and count each calorie. It is working. Slow and steady we go.:flowerforyou:

LittleSpy

I had a realization of a mini-success today. My bra was driving me crazy. :blushing: Then I realized it's because I needed to adjust where I clasp it to make the band smaller so it would stop moving around so much! So I adjusted it to the tightest setting and it fit so much better! Yay! Last time I lost weight (the wrong way) I went down a band size and up a cup size. Then when I gained the weight back (and then some), I lost a cup size and gained a band size & had to buy a few new bras (in one of those sizes the pretty bras aren't available in...). :noway: Looks like I'll be back in my pretty bras again soon. :bigsmile:

Momma2four

good for you jlb123, that is great.


Are we all too afraid to check in today. i know I was not looking forward to it. All you gals in a different time zone then myself are usually already posted by the time I get around to it. It is 9:30 a.m. pacific time and no post from anyone. I know for some of you it is already lunch time. I will be the first to post here it goes.

I gained 2 pounds.:explode: I am holding off on putting that weight down to update my ticker because TOM is due on Sunday.:mad: I usually retain about 2 pounds the few days before. I am also aware that I did horribly this week and that may also be the issue. None the less I will wait until next week to make it offical. (if it is still there) I am NOT and I repeat NOT going to let this discourage me. I have been at this for 7 months, I have never gone that long with trying to make a change. Because this is not a diet but a lifestyle change I am still trying to figure it out. I usually start out on something like this and want to lose 20 pounds a month. This time I decided I wanted to lose the weight and I am going to do it even if it means taking it slow!!!! And if that means I am averaging 5 pounds a month lost than hooray for me. As long as I am not gaining every month. I was headed in the wrong direction 7 months ago and now I am headed in the right direction. This last week that I did so horribly is my past as of today. Today is my present and next week is my future. I am looking forward and not back. Wow I feel better now that I gave myself a pep talk:flowerforyou: for me today!!!Ha

snowflakes

GOOD MORNING ALL!

I stepped on the scale and it went down two pounds:happy: My scale is analog so until I get a digital scale my weight is in full pounds. But it is okay with me.

EWW LA LA love a new bra:laugh: One of lifes great treasures. lol

Momma2four

Great Job snowflakes, that is great.



Here is our percentage calculator for those of us who have lost weight. Post your percentage of weight loss so we can determine who had the highest percentage and they can choose our challenge

http://menshealth.about.com/library/blpercentage.htm

lstpaul

Just like you Momma2four - I knew the scale wasn't going to be good after this week ... I gained 2.6 pounds. I did post it so my ticker is back to only 17 pounds lost ... which discouraged me at first ... I was so excited when I hit 20 pounds.:sad:
BUT ... I am going to focus on the fact that I have lost 17 pounds ... which I have NEVER been able to do before, and I will get back to that 20 pounds lost quickly. I'm going to give myself a break, this has been a tough time lately ... but I will get there, slowly but surely ... never giving up this time!
Have a great weekend everyone!:drinker:

snowflakes

OKay - great tool on Mens Health, so if I did it right it came up with .9090%

Momma2four we posted near the same time this morning so I missed your message earlier. but as I read I was reminded of the Movie Kung Fu Panda with the quote "yesterday is history tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift that is why it is called the 'present'". This is a life style change! It is a change for the better. I am learning every day about portions of different foods. Hopefully it well soon be second nature to know the right portions for a serving. You can do this, slow and steady, we are doing this together.

jennbarrette

I don't know how much a I lost this week since I haven't been weighing myself, but I did lose a pound since Wed. Officially down 60 pounds!!!

snowflakes

Just like you Momma2four - I knew the scale wasn't going to be good after this week ... I gained 2.6 pounds. I did post it so my ticker is back to only 17 pounds lost ... which discouraged me at first ... I was so excited when I hit 20 pounds.:sad:
BUT ... I am going to focus on the fact that I have lost 17 pounds ... which I have NEVER been able to do before, and I will get back to that 20 pounds lost quickly. I'm going to give myself a break, this has been a tough time lately ... but I will get there, slowly but surely ... never giving up this time!
Have a great weekend everyone!:drinker:

Oh how I can relate how easy it is to give up, it is too hard and too discouarging. But like you, this time is going to be different. 3 pounds is a normal flucuation range, (from what I have read and personal experience, no expert here ) you will tackle those 3 for good.

Momma2four

Hey girls, I am so glad to hear from you all....

lstpaul, I am sure that 20 pounds lost will be back in no time. You can do it. I know I am cheating not putting my gain down. I just want to wait until next week and see where it goes.


snowflakes, I love kung fu panda, I forgot that they said that until you reminded me. I actually like that saying.

jenn, as usual you are awsome. 60 pounds down you should be so proud of yourself....

lstpaul

lstpaul, I am sure that 20 pounds lost will be back in no time. You can do it. I know I am cheating not putting my gain down. I just want to wait until next week and see where it goes.

Don't feel like you are cheating by not putting your gain down yet! I think whatever works to be most motivating is what you need to do ... I usually don't record my gains for a few days ... just in case the scale is better on Saturday or Sunday ... but this week I just wanted to get the bad news over with so I could start fresh!:flowerforyou:

Thanks for the encouragement snowflakes, and CONGRATS jennbarrette!!!!! :drinker:

GIJOEY

Hello all I just found this site today as I was looking for a calorie counter. I decided that after becoming heavier than ever before it is time to lose weight and begin to get my old Army body back

I was always a big guy ever since school, but when I had decided to join the Army I put all that behind me and began to work out daily if not three times daily to get to the weight I needed to be at to get in. Well I did it and lost about 62 pounds in 2 months (Not exactly Healthy). I went in and all throughout my four years I had problems keeping my weight down and so got into a lot of trouble with my command and it also halted my career progress too. Well needless to say I ended up finally getting out and well gained it all back and then some. I was doing ok for a while but it just slipped as I was tired from all the working out and not being able to really enjoy myself. Well today I guess is finally the last straw as I have all of you to help support me in my goal attainment and this nifty site to track it all. Well wish me luck guys oh and my current weight is 316 but was up to a wopping 340 about a month ago and well I have been terribly sick lately and that made me less hungry and so ate less but we shall see how it all goes

LittleSpy

Welcome GIJOEY! This is a really great group & has kept me motivated for over a month now.

I was retaining all kinds of crazy water this morning thanks to TOM but I was still down a pound from 253.2 to 252.2!
I lost a good bit of that water this afternoon because I weighed 252.8 after I had eaten breakfast, a snack, and lunch, and had drank over a liter of water so I expect I'll be down even more tomorrow, but I'll just save that for next week.

So my percentage is just 0.4%, but after the week I had, I'll definitely take it. Congrats to all the losers! :drinker:

Momma2four

Hello all I just found this site today as I was looking for a calorie counter. I decided that after becoming heavier than ever before it is time to lose weight and begin to get my old Army body back

I was always a big guy ever since school, but when I had decided to join the Army I put all that behind me and began to work out daily if not three times daily to get to the weight I needed to be at to get in. Well I did it and lost about 62 pounds in 2 months (Not exactly Healthy). I went in and all throughout my four years I had problems keeping my weight down and so got into a lot of trouble with my command and it also halted my career progress too. Well needless to say I ended up finally getting out and well gained it all back and then some. I was doing ok for a while but it just slipped as I was tired from all the working out and not being able to really enjoy myself. Well today I guess is finally the last straw as I have all of you to help support me in my goal attainment and this nifty site to track it all. Well wish me luck guys oh and my current weight is 316 but was up to a wopping 340 about a month ago and well I have been terribly sick lately and that made me less hungry and so ate less but we shall see how it all goes

Hi GIJoey, You can do this!! This site is so great. You will find the tools so helpful. This particular group is very supportive. I have been going slow with my weight loss, it tends to stick. My husband always tells me you did not gain this weight in 6 months so it is not going to come off in 6. I know that doing this healthy and the right way is going to be so much more rewarding. I have also found that having a supportive group that can understand and relate to your particular struggles is so helpful. Anyways, I am glad you are here and welcome. We can do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


By the way, weigh in is on Friday we post our loss and the percentage of weight loss. Who ever has the highest percentage chooses our physical challenge for the week.

Momma2four

Jenn I was not sure what your percentage was. Awestfall, has not posted and neither has andrea. So far it looks as if Jenn, or snowflakes is our highest percentage of weight loss. We will see what Andrea and awestfall percentage is.


Here is our calculator

http://menshealth.about.com/library/blpercentage.htm

jennbarrette

Momma, since I don't know what I weighed last week, I will sit out the percentages this week.

GIJOEY

Hey guys thanks for the support and today being my first day I think I did quite well.....

I had some steamed Squash, Zucchini, cucumber and Red Snapper all of it was steamed with a mix of water lemon juice and some basil leaves boiling underneath. I steamed the fish and veggies seperate but with the same water (added some as necessary). It came out ok I didnt let the veggies cook too long because then it loses all the nutrients but yeah was pretty ok considering i didnt add much to it and all. But of course once it got to the plate I added some Creole spice and some All seasons spice. Oh and did I mention we had some Chayote Squash too :happy: this was my dinner.

I didnt have but a half cantalope for breakfast and a bowl of 1 cup honey nut cheerios and 1/2 cup 2% milk for my lunch and no snacks. So all in all I did good on the intake then I took our 2 Goldies out for a walk for 30 minutes too and it said that if i continue on this track I will be under 300 in 5 weeks:happy:

Well I could use work on my water intake though too so yeah I will work on that one tomorrow :happy:

mscocoa30

Hey dolls. I have to head out to work so I wanted to do a quick check in. I hope everyone is well. I am down 1.5 lbs from last week. Was 231.9 now 230.4. Hope to see the 220's sometime this week. I'm pushing. Will check in with more details later.

LittleSpy

I thought I had been retaining water when I weighed in yesterday & I was right. I weighed again this morning and was at 250.6 which would be down 2.6 pounds from last Friday. I'm not claiming it this week for weigh-in, I'm going to stick with my 1# loss, but I am claiming the extra 1.6 on my ticker.

Only .6# away from my Halloween goal!

andreasoulcastle

no weight loss AGAIN!!!! i feel like i will stay at 238 for the rest of my life..it;s been a month now. I am going to go to the gym tonight...get through my TOM..and hope for the best.

0 percent

p.s sorry didn't post, was at S.F. all day yesterday

lildebbie

Hello all I would like to join you guys if I Can. I have been on my diet now for about 2 weeks and lost like 6lbs, i know most of it is water weight I am sure of it. Seems like great support here and I need it I am currently sitting (as of this morning ) of 303.8.

I have lots to loose and trying to take little goals as i get soo depressed when I think of all the weight i need to loose...when you have to looose like 1/2 your weight makes me sad. My 1st goal is 275. The message boards over here seem very supportive., I am doing the alliplan, and I did it back in june and lost 15lb , then gained like 7 of it back , so back down to where i was when i stopped. I have started it again, i am very comitted to get this done.

snowflakes

Hi all! Oh I have the munchies today:grumble: I am 43 clories over today. So close, yet I think why? have some disipline girl! Again talking to myself :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I messed myself up by not measuring the amount nuts before I consumed them. Calories count, clories matter, calories add up.

For next weeks challege let's each account carfully for each calorie and stay every single day for the week within our calories. Also everybody try something with whole grain this week and then share if you would have it again or not a chance. Some whole grain is really good and for me some is really bad:sick: It is an important part of a healthy diet.

Will be traveling out of state next week so I will check in if and when I have access to a computer. We can do this. Slow and steady...

lildebbie welcome. This is such a great forum for getting support and staying focused and positive.
Set realistic weekly and monthly goals, and it will happen for you, for all of us.
:flowerforyou:

andreasoulcastle

WELCOME LILDEBBIE!!!

LittleSpy

Welcome lildebbie! This group has been really great for me. I joined MFP September 8th this year and as of this morning I have lost over 20 pounds since then. The great thing about this group is that we all have a lot (or had a lot) of weight to lose so we truly understand how overwhelming the process can seem.

---

Against most people's advice, it really motivates me personally to weigh myself almost every day. If I weigh less than the day before, it motivates me to keep it up. If i weigh more than the day before, it motivates me to work harder that day. I don't feel it's really a problem for me because I'm not obsessive about the number going down every day. That being said, when I weighed today, I had met my Halloween goal!!! 249.4! It's been a couple of years now since I was under 250. Yesterday I wore jeans I couldn't even get all the way up my legs 6 weeks ago and they were quite literally falling off of me. I tried on some jeans in my closet I've not been able to wear for over 2 years and I got them buttoned easily (still need to lose about 10 pounds for them to fit loose enough on my thighs). I tried on a button-up shirt I haven't been able to wear for a couple years and it fit perfectly.:happy: I have some absolutely gorgeous skirts that are size 14 I got from a charity thrift store several years ago. I have *never* been able to wear them. I can hardly wait until I can wear them.

Edit: I also just realized that being under 250 means I am actually *less than 100 pounds away* from my goal weight of 150!

andreasoulcastle

Welcome lildebbie! This group has been really great for me. I joined MFP September 8th this year and as of this morning I have lost over 20 pounds since then. The great thing about this group is that we all have a lot (or had a lot) of weight to lose so we truly understand how overwhelming the process can seem.

Give me your secret, what have you been doing? I have been falling on and off the wagon since March and at most have lost 20 pounds...now I am back tracking again

LittleSpy

Give me your secret, what have you been doing? I have been falling on and off the wagon since March and at most have lost 20 pounds...now I am back tracking again

I guess my secret is just how much I really want to be healthy. My #1 goal isn't weight loss, it's my health. I'm probably still in the honeymoon phase of all this so I'm sorry if my enthusiasm is annoying. :embarassed: Every day is a new day to me & I do the best I can that day. I've focused on learning how to cook healthy meals that are still super flavorful and tasty because I LOVE to cook. If I break down & stop for a cheeseburger one day, the whole day isn't a wash, it just means I'm going to have to be careful so I can be sure that cheeseburger doesn't kill my calorie count for the day. And instead of ordering a cheeseburger, fries, and a milkshake, I just order a cheeseburger.

I've really never had similar success so easily in my previous attempts. But my previous attempts were to lose weight, not to be healthy. I feel like I was focusing on the wrong things then and I had no idea what I was doing. This time, I'm researching and learning. I'm spending a *lot* of time on learning what works for me, what is healthy, what tastes good, what exercise I enjoy, etc. I'm an odd kind of person in that when I really want to know something, I put *all* my effort into that one thing. I want to research and learn all I can about being healthy in a way I can live with my entire life. It's hard in that respect, with all the effort I'm putting into learning. But actually eating well and exercising is pretty simple for me now. It really all boils down to being honest with myself, tracking my calories, and exercising. And realizing that gobs of junk food is in no way worth my health. I mean, that's kind of ridiculous when you think about it, right? Choosing junk food and being sedentary over being healthy? Don't get me wrong, I have budgeted a slice of pumpkin cheesecake into my calories for today -- I still enjoy cheesecake, afterall. The difference between then and now is that I made that pumpkin cheesecake with my health in mind. I cut calories where I could without sacrificing taste. And I eat a slice that is 1/12th the whole cheesecake instead of eating one twice that size like I would've before. Little adjustments really add up.
Seeing the weight and inches come off is really encouraging, and knowing to expect plateaus and reading about how to break through them is preparing me for when/if a plateau happens. Reading the "success stories" here helps keep me motivated when I get down.

I have completely changed my lifestyle. I have completely changed my outlook. I'm sorry I don't know what else to say. It honestly happened that one day I woke up and everything made sense. I know that sounds kooky, but it's true. :huh:

It's kind of like when I quit smoking 2 years ago. Of course I had wanted to quit for years before that. But one day I woke up and thought "What am I doing?! I'm crazy!" and I just stopped cold-turkey. Yes, it was hard. Yes, it took a lot of willpower. And yes, to this day I may cave and have one cigarette every few months in a social situation. But I'm not a smoker anymore. I can breathe so much easier. I haven't had bronchitis or a major asthma attack since I quit. If I can do that, I know I can do this. So can you.