Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

BettJo64

hello ladies sorry I didn't drop by for a "hi" on Monday. got caught up in a busy evening and lost track of time. I want to fess up to feeling pretty miserable and lost right now. I can't for the life of me meet my calorie requirement because of the lapband I still have. I have pushed myself to eat more than I truly desire just because I know I've dropped my carbs pretty low and have been told that my body will run off my fats and proteins now. I've also been told that I need to get my calories higher in order to get my body out of starvation mode. I just can't do it, ladies. I'm so frustrated and my everyday is filled with sickness because of the "dumping cycle" that goes with gastric bypass sometimes. I've even seen a 3lb gain over this past week :mad: :frown: which makes no sense to me considering my calories at times are just pitiful! I don't know what to do. I've been walking on my treadmill regularly and increasing my times each night, until the doggone thing started messing up on me. it let's me get as far as 30mins sometimes then comes to a sudden sharp stop which jerks my already bad knees. hurts pretty bad for the rest of that evening and into the next morning before it feels better. then I get on it the next night only to have the same thing happen again. hubby told me to just walk 20 mins each night for the next week because he's ordered me a brand new treadmill and a hybrid recumbant bike/elliptical machine!!!!! OMG!!! I'm so excited about this! So I'm gonna protect my knees and walk less time just because I know I'm gonna be a HAPPY HAPPY GIRL in just a week or so!!! However, back to my original gripe...even with all my walking and strengthening exercises and very faithful low carb diet...WHY DID I GAIN 3LBS???? any help, suggestions, advice would be so appreciated.

oystereyes

The day is almost gone and I think I am going to make it. I am having knee and foot problems so once again I am slacking off on the exercises. The thing that always trips me up is this...I have to try to stay focused. This does not come naturally to me. I want to read interesting books, design my next project, visit a friend, go to lunch with a pal, play with the dog, watch tv with my guy, fix a great dinner for the whole family, etc etc etc. I need to remember that if I do not focus on a better and healthier me, there will be none of these other things. I have already started having to paring down the possibilities.

cblue315

@GrammyWhammy Wow, I have always loved the harp. How close is Wisconsin to where you are I want to be there for the Christmas "concert".

@bettjo I wish I could be there to hug you. I'm sorry if you are not a hugger but I am. I feel for you. I have this deal with the scale and the trainer. I look at where I am now with where I was 4 weeks ago. If I am up from 4 weeks ago I can have a melt down. The weight of a human body can vary by as much as 5 pounds in a single day. Keep that in mind when you step on the scale.

Wishful Wednesday - I love it. My wishful Wednesday, I meet with the trainer tomorrow to renew my contract. I am a little apprehensive. We do all the measurements, review my progress and update my goals. He has worked out a fitness plan for me for approx. 12 hours per week. Group classes, resistance training, swimming, and some treadmill. Will be working on the Couch to 5K principles for the next two months. I know I am still too heavy to get into running but I will take baby steps toward that triathlon goal next year.

So all that being said my wish today is to get through on calorie goal, get in my swimming.

My morning visualization today is to having all of you at the side of the pool cheering me on as I swim my mile.
Love to all
Lori

kah68

@Karen(skinny)~Oh, how I wish I could eat steak every day! I’ve never been a huge cereal eater, but there are a couple that I have to stay away from (any mini-wheats flavor, I can eat them right out of the box :blushing:). I do okay with the Kashi—it looks more like twigs than cereal. :laugh:

@Laurie~I think the reason my trainer hates cardio so much is that he is one of these weird guys that drops weight like crazy if he gets in too much cardio, he saves his cardio to run with me so its a win-win.

@ebailey~I’m sorry to hear about your uncle, thoughts and prayers out to you and your family. Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy is my poison.

@Kaye~Sounds like a great report from your doctor—reducing meds is a greater measurement of your success than anything the scale says, I hope you are able to stay on the reduced dose.

@soosun~Great NSV this week, congrats!

@BettJo~Hooray for new exercise equipment! :bigsmile: I’m sorry for the gain. Have you increased calories lately? I know with the lap band you’re limited in the number of calories you can eat, but if you’re pushing the envelope and trying to increase them it CAN cause a weight gain. We have all played around with increasing and decreasing calories and both ways can cause a weight gain, its takes a few weeks for your body to adjust to the changes. Another possibility is inflammation—is your diet higher in sodium lately? Or are you drinking enough water? I know with the lap band you can’t drink a ton so if the foods you’re eating are high in sodium and you can’t drink the water to flush it out—you could be retaining water and water retention, although temporary, is good for some serious weight gain. Since the lap band is causing you issues, it’s possible it’s causing some inflammatory issues as well. Lastly, if you’ve increased your activity, it can cause a temporary gain—again, your body will become accustomed to the increased activity and start to drop pounds again. I feel your frustration, I’ve been there more than once—its mind boggling and so very annoying. Hang in there! :flowerforyou:

@Lori(cblue)~The c25k program is a great way to ease into running, several of us here have used that program. Just take it slow and remember not to run more than 2-3 days a week and give yourself a day off in between. Good luck!

AFM~Well, I did not go to the gym for cardio—got stuck at work late and by the time I left, I was hungry and tired. :grumble: Had dinner and then laid down with ice on my traps—they are much better today. Its amazing how you recover in time for another beating by your trainer! Session with my trainer this afternoon and then tonight going to a painting event with my BFF at a place called Painting with a Twist —we’re painting portraits of our pets (apparently you don’t need to be artistic—so I’m told), should be a fun evening. Fingers crossed that Zoe still looks like cat when I’m finished, as I did not inherit my mom’s artistic talent.

Exercise Goals:

Sunday~Trainer NOT DONE (Rescheduled for Monday)
Monday~Cardio DONE! (trainer instead)
Tuesday~Cardio NOT DONE (rest day instead) :frown:
Wednesday~Trainer
Thursday~Cardio
Friday~Trainer
Saturday~Cardio or Active Rest Day (housework most likely)

grandmakaye44

Lori, We are cheering you on even if you can't see us. Great advice on the scale.
Bettjo, Lori's advice on the scale is right on. That is why I weigh every day. I get used to the fluctuations and realize that I never weigh the same thing 2 days in a row. Perhaps you need to not only back off on the exercise, but be less focused on a particular calorie number until you have your surgery. Also can you find some higher calorie foods to boost your calories without adding too much bulk. Eating high calorie foods seems counter-intuitive when you are trying to lose weight, but since you are restricted on volume, it might help. We are cheering you on.
Love the beginning of a new day. We can do this. Onward and downward. Kaye

Morgori

Top of the morning to you.

GrammyWhammy- I find them on the internet. There are quite a few sites that list strange Holidays.:bigsmile:

Happy National Radio Day!
Each year on August 20, National Radio Day celebrates the great invention of the radio.
In the late 19th century, it became clear that wireless communication was possible.
There were several inventors that had a part in the invention of the radio in the late 1800′s and not just one person can be credited with it’s beginning. To make the radio a reality, it required a number of different inventions and discoveries including both transmission and reception methods as well as technology.
It was in the 1920′s when the first broadcast stations began airing programs. These first programs were those of news and world events.
• Radio ownership grew from two out of five homes in 1931 to four out of five homes in 1938.
• According to FCC statistics, at the end of 2012, there were more than 15,000 licensed broadcast radio stations in the U.S.
To celebrate National Radio Day, listen to your favorite radio station and give a special recognition to your local radio personalities.

“Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states.” ~Carol Welch

Tom

Lauriek70

Bettyjo- Don't give up and get frustrated right now. Remember that your body is changing right now especially with the lap band issues. Your weight does change daily and hourly, so don't let 1 or 2 days get you down. You can do this.

Gotto go the worthless PD just ended.

kateirving

What you are doing sounds great to me, and I barely can get myself to walk three or four days a week. I have been very steady on the diet this last week. I am trying to be 200 cal under my recommended 1440 cal each day. I want to see results sooner. I have tried to do arm strength training so that my arms don't look flabby. I don't know what to wish for except having someone tell me I look like I've lost weight. The fact that I am so heavy, makes it harder to notice the loss. I see it sometimes when I put on a fanny pack I used to use that fits me again, or see my larger shorts seem to be falling off. The problem is I still see a fat person in the mirror and that is the hardest to face. I am going to not use the mirror for a while so that I can concentrate on just losing and feeling better. Lately I realize that I am not really over the loss of my family, because when I let myself think more I feel sad or lonely. I suppose it will take a while to fade. Thanks for listening. Kate

Brenda_1129

@BettJo~I’m sorry you are frustrated. How exciting that your husband got you some new workout equipment! CONGRATS!! Keep your chin up. You will get the hang of this, just keep going!

@Oystereyes~I hope your knee and foot trouble goes away soon. Keeping things in order can be difficult when you have a lot going on. My schedule is ridiculously busy most days but when trying to manage my time I plan my meals and plan my workouts so that my health does not falter any more than it already has. I’m not sure what would work for you but maybe try lists of a calendar of things to accomplish in a day. Try different things until you feel that you are on point with keeping everything in order.


Wednesday Wishes: I wish my trainer did not make me get on the scale last night. JERK!! I tried to explain that I was waiting until the first because I was getting to focused on the numbers but he insisted so I did it and sure enough, I gain another 2 effing LBS. Now, I am taking into consideration that I was weighed on a scale that I had never used before and I had just finished walking a 5k on the treadmill and it was at 6 pm. So, I am trying to not get to caught up but it is very difficult.

I am having a little hunger issue today. This is going to take a minute to explain. So, last night I worked out for approximately 2 hours (walked a 5k and did water aerobics). When I got home I was a little hungry and had about 1 cup of grapes (minus what the dog stole!!). About an hour later, we ate dinner, which consisted of 6 oz pork loin, a salad, and steamed green beans. I also drank about 4-5 cups of water between getting home and going to bed. When I went to bed, I was comfortably full and when I woke up, I was okay; a little hungry but nothing out of the ordinary. So as normal I waited until I got to work to eat breakfast. This is where the hunger started. I have my normal cup of milk and cup of raisin bran, and within an hour, I felt like I was starving to the point that my stomach was growling. I drank water and was able to hold off for a little while but I eventually gave in and ate a few graham crackers and almonds (just a heads up, graham crackers and wasabi soy almonds do not mesh well!!!). Again, within an hour or so I was starving and again I chugged some water which kind of held me over until lunch. I had a healthy lunch of leftovers but not even 30 minutes later I felt hungry to the point that I almost bought a second lunch. I am sitting here right now, trying to resist the urge of more food. I have a snack planned but I’m not sure that will be enough.

I spoke to one of my co-workers, who owns a fitness/personal training company and his recommendation was to change my meals around. Instead of eating most of my calories at night, eat them in the morning OR include a protein shake of some sort in the middle of the day before my workout. His exact words “I eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch, and a beggar for dinner!” Does anyone else do this? How is it working out for you? There are a few challenges that I see with this and my lifestyle First, I have a problem with eating breakfast, I don’t like to eat anything until I have been up for a little while and I’m generally not hungry. Second, I do not do the cooking in my house and I cannot expect two grown men to eat the way I do. Yes, I know ‘if they support me they would do it’ but they have a physically demanding job and need to eat a decent meal at the end of the day. We sit down at the table every night together and I feel that making my own dinner will take away from the cohesion that we have. Our dinners are healthy so I could eat whatever is made and maybe just cut it down to half of a portion, i.e. eat 3-4 ounces of pork instead of 6. On another note, what are your feelings about protein shakes? Do you drink them? Is there a specific kind you refer? Personally, I have not ever found one that I like and I read something a while back that said most people, especially women, should not drink protein shakes because it gives them way too much protein for a day. I know this is probably just in my head and I am putting too much emphasis on this. What is your opinion on this topic?

I know my problem of hunger is most likely that my metabolism has sped up after the workout last night and that I need to eat a bit more, maybe eat back some of my workout calories. Any input would be greatly accepted!

I hope everyone is having a great day
BRENDA

grandmakaye44

Brenda, We eat dinner as a family, too. I don't prepare different food for me, but I do eat smaller portions. Never used protein shakes so I can't speak to that. One of the conditions of this journey for me is to eat the same things the rest of the family eats.
Good luck with finding the balance that works for you.
Onward and downward. Kaye

kah68

@Brenda~My meals usually consist of a moderate breakfast (mostly protein), a higher calorie lunch and a lower calorie dinner—I do try to get in a lot of my calories before I work out. It works out okay for me, though. I imagine today was too many carbs/sugar in breakfast and not enough protein to compensate for the huge calorie burn you had the day before. I can’t eat immediately when I get up either, so eat when I get to work—but it’s mostly protein. You might consider changing your morning snack to include more protein—string cheese, half a peanut butter sandwich, yogurt/cottage cheese (if you like that stuff), but just something more substantial. Also, raisin bran is extremely high in carbs/sugar—which can set off a chain of events for craving more carbs throughout the day and making you feel hungry—while it does contain fiber, which you think would be more filling, the carbs/sugar supersede the fiber content. I can’t imagine graham crackers lasting long at all. :frown: Personally, I can't eat cereal for breakfast--I'm always hungry an hour later. :frown: If I eat cereal, its usually as a snack.

Not to debunk what your friend/co-worker is saying either but if you’re working out you need more protein—it is a fuel source and necessary for muscle recovery/repair. You just don’t want to eat too much at once (no more than ~30g per meal, your body can't absorb it so it turns to fat). If you are averaging 100-130g per day I think you’ll be fine—personally I aim for 130-150g. Now as for protein replacement, I do use protein shakes periodically. There are brands out there that don’t have a ton of protein in them. For example Designer Whey (soy free, tons of flavors) has around 15-18g in a scoop (I mix it with almond milk or water). I also use Vega One which is a vegetable based protein and offers around 15g of protein per scoop (again I mix with almond milk or water)—it’s pricey though. There are also protein bars, but you need to be careful since some are calorie laden—Think Thin has some new ones out that are protein + fiber, they are around 150 calories and have 10g protein and 5g fiber. They also make a protein bar that has 20g of protein but have around 250 calories—both come in tons of flavors. I eat one or the other every day before my workout. Luna bars are also a safe bet for a higher protein snack—calories are reasonable and they have around 10g of protein, these are higher in carbs though. You could also look for Kind bars or Zone Simply Perfect (main ingredient in the Zone bars is dates). I hope this helps.

Kelley

RobinsEgg

So sorry no personals - in a way its good I've been busy - I heard this tidbit on the am news and wanted to share it - about WILL POWER and how it CAN BE USED UP DAILY - DID ANY ONE KNOW THAT? I SURE DIDN'T.!!

Many scientific studies were done on willpower and they all came to the same conclusion. We are all born with a certain quantitiy of willpower and we use it up during the day - on each and every stressor that comes into our life - BIG or SMALL. So, if your kids are quarelling before school and you have to make several decisionis right then, you use up some of your willpower then. If you are at work, and are given several tasks, and you have to prioritize them , THAT uses up some of your willpower, if during your day, you are tempted with knowing there are sweets in the room next to you , then you are constantlly using up some willpower each time you think about the sweets and successfully resist them, you are using up some willpower. I could give 10 more examples, but I think you get it.

The point of these studies is to show that you ONLY have SO MUCH WILL POWER and you have to MONITOR it. You have to SAVE SOME for each EVENING's temptations or you will end up giving in to them.

Something to think about!

skinnyjeanzbound

BRENDA!!! (not yelling at you, just want to make sure you read this :flowerforyou: )

Do not let your dog eat grapes!!! Grapes and raisins can kill a dog. Something in them causes acute renal failure. Their kidneys shut down very quickly and they can die. The scary part is, scientists can't figure out what it is in the grapes that causes it and what amount is lethal. Some dogs can eat a bunch of grapes and be fine, but there are other cases of dogs dying from just one or two grapes or raisins. So no grapes or raisins or products made with grapes for dogs. This includes almost any fruit based food b/c most processed jams, jellies, fruit snacks, etc. are made with grapes regardless of the flavor.

GrammyWhammy

Brenda-Wow! That was some workout you had last night! I agree with Kelley/kah about protein. Last go round I didn't eat enough protein and was always hungry, especially after breakfast which was typically regular yogurt or cereal with skim and fruit. For the last few weeks I have been trying to eat most of my protein allotment and IT'S WORKING! Greek yogurt (12 g protein), low fat breakfast sandwiches with egg and so on. Lunches and dinner include more poultry, fish, meat and beans along with plenty of water. I would like to try the "Eat like a king," thing, but the rest of my family won't and I'm not making two different meals. One thing about protein shakes--they are yummy, but protein powder does add calories (and some have additives that can contribute to kidney failure) and the shakes do not satisfy MY need to CHEW. There is some mouth>mind thing that I need. Don't know if there are studies to prove this, just personal experience.

About grapes and dogs: Karen/skinnyjeanz is so right! Do not ever let your puppy have any--or chocolate or onions. One of my dogs once at a pound of gourmet chocolate however and lived to tell/wag the tail. :laugh: I had a heck of a mess to clean up though.

RobinsEgg: So that explains why hubby was so grouchy when he got home from work. Between traffic, job stress, and his "boneheaded" boss, there was little willpower left. His career ruined his health.

Wednesday Wish: That I could see my grandkids (in UT) before they start school tomorrow. They grow up so fast.

Still under goal.

Happy Radio Day! (Prairie Home Companion, Car Talk and What Do You Know fan here!)

GW>Marsha

ushkii

Wow this place is still going strong and fast, but I knew it would. Love the encouragement that is given here. I have been busy and maybe slacking or unmotivated to engage.
Summer has been wonderful, camping, family, parades, more camping, lots more family... just fun stuff.
My garden is giving me snap peas every day and tons of cherry tomatoes and zucchini like crazy.


Susan - Thanks for the acknowledgment,
hansea - Hi, we have been stalled but no real gain so that is good news
skinny - Hello!
Robin - You just increased my Will Power! thx

RobinsEgg

Ushkii - I've been missing you so much!

BettJo64

good evening, ladies I'm hoping everyone has enjoyed a perfectly beautiful day today. My day was unusual for me in that my husband, who usually works 5pm-4am, is working days until the end of the week. We haven't done this in years :laugh: I live my life with his work schedule, too...so we go to bed at 8am and rise at 2pm usually. This week we're getting up at 5am and bed at 11. Whew! I'm so sleep deprived and messed up :laugh: It's hard to suddenly adjust. Poor hubby is like a walking zombie :laugh: and he has to do inventory on his job this week :laugh: hope those numbers jive in the end :laugh: I know this is effecting my eating, too. can't make an appetite appear out of the blue. but I'm doing my thing here. still eating and trying to keep within my carbs goal. HOT HOT HOT outside in my Georgia, so I thank goodness I have no where I need to be in particular. Just staying cool inside until I'm ready to go out and fight with that devilish treadmill of mine after dinner :laugh:

@cblue 315 - HUGS back to you, friend!!! I certainly can appreciate a big warm hug and will give one at the drop of a hat, too. we have that in common wanted to let you know that I do try to weigh just once a week on Sun afternoons at the exact same time every week. I am not attached to these numbers on the scale so much that I have to look every day. But I do worry when I see them go up and I can't spot what I'm doing wrong to cause this to happen.
@kah68 - yes, indeed, I have been earnestly trying to increase my calories from my normal 400-600 range up to 1200. A few times I was able to get over 1000, but I suffered several bouts of sickness through those particular days, too. That's when you may see an Atkins protein drink later in my day as well as my normal morning one sometimes. This extra Atkins shake helps me replenish a little of the lost calories from when I was sick that day. But never all that I lost. Just so happens I have been dealing with a few different days being over my sodium limit. I was so irritated about that, but what's done is done. I find a food that meets my low low carb requirement and hopefully a bit of calories I can claim...then WHAM that sodium has to be HUGE!! makes me crazy trying to figure this out! So yes, my sodium has been high several times this week. I am indeed limited with water, even though I love it! If I plan to eat 3 meals, then drinking times become a problem for me. I must drink 1hr before a meal or 1hr after a meal. Never during. This causes "dumping". If I happen to have eaten something that is terribly hard for me to digest, it may take hours before I can even out. By then it's next meal time. So I do the best I can with water. Always meet my 8 cups a day, but never like some of the others I've seen on here who drink 25-30 cups a day!!! I'd never be able to eat :laugh: So with the low end of the water requirement and definite higher sodium days, you just may be right about some water retention happening here! thanks for giving me advice to look in that direction.
@grandmakaye44 - I think I'd go crazy if I looked at my scale every day!! I couldn't take staring at those awful numbers changing everyday if it's UP UP UP!!! Once a week is all I can handle now. I'd love to find higher calorie foods to eat, BUT carbs are my issue with that. I'm still limited to 20carbs a day. Any ideas for me on high calories/low low carb foods???
@Brenda_1129 and @Lauriek70 - thank you so much, ladies, for your support and encouragement :flowerforyou:

hansea47

Ushkii- Congrats on finding your way back and you and your wife holding steady! We actually grew some snap peas this year, too. I've got the container garden and this is the first year that we succeeded with peas. Yum!

Kah- I look forward to seeing a picture of your artwork. I'm sure your painting of Zoe will look wonderful, whether she looks like a cat in the traditional sense or not.

BettJo- The change in sleep schedule could be affecting your weight, too.

My Wednesday Wish: I hope that the consultant group that is evaluating our clinics provides our management with the info they need to justify building us a new lab and lets us merge with two of our smaller clinics. I have big dreams for a beautiful and organized and well-flowing workspace!!!

Mine_Time

Wed Wish - I hope when I wakeup tomorrow I will have lost the 2lbs that I need to still lose before I am back to were I was when I got off track. I also wish I could find me a true christian man that will love me and my kids - this wish seem more impossible then the 2lbs LOL Im tired going to bed early hopefully.

Lauriek70

Brenda- My trainer has talked to me about the big breakfast (King) smaller lunch (prince) and a tiny dinner (beggar). It does work but is not always realistic based on our lives. I have a made a few changes- I do eat more in the morning including the carbs, lunch is more controlled then dinner I try to keep it small- a salad or lots of veggies with a protein. Another tip would be to make dinner as normal and eat that for breakfast the next day. I could not wrap my head around this either. So, now I am just cutting back on the amount of food I eat for dinner based on how hungry I am and it seems to be working. Protein shakes- I like the EAS brand and chocolate flavor. I have not used them in a while but they were very tasty. Lack of sleep will impact your weight so give your body time to adjust to the new sleep schedule.

Ushkil- Welcome back. Yum to the fresh veggies.

Wish- That I get good news from the doctor tomorrow with all my test results. I will be glad when this visit is over and I can stop worrying about things. Think positive thoughts for me tomorrow so all comes out good.