can't budge the weight

sherrillbj · December 2007

Hi: I have been recording everthing I eat but then I go back and find that I forgot something. It is so easy to not notice hidden calories. For, example, I thought the lite cranberry juice was low in cals. I looked at the bottle and it had 40 cals ber 1 cup. I was freezing it and using it as something to chew on instead of eating other stuff in the evening. I am really trying but I can't loose. I am stuck at 189.5. I get so frustarated because I know the day before my clothes were looser. I woke up this morning all excited that I had lost but the darn scale still said 189.5. I did notice my ring was tight which always means I am retaining water. Ok, the truth is I drank some wine the night before. I think that was the reason behind the water retention.
I am 56 years old, so I would love to communicate with women in this age bracket. The younger you are the easier it is to take the pounds off.

I would also like to hear from anyone about different programs they have tried that they liked, like weight watchers, Tops, etc.

I went to weight watchers a long time ago and just felt the calorie restriction was too much. Maybe it has changed?

The other thing is that I have been exercising more. Hopefully just writing this will help me get past my plateau.

Thanks for listening. I hope to hear from you all soon.

Sherrill

sherrillbj · December 2007

Hi: I have been recording everthing I eat but then I go back and find that I forgot something. It is so easy to not notice hidden calories. For, example, I thought the lite cranberry juice was low in cals. I looked at the bottle and it had 40 cals ber 1 cup. I was freezing it and using it as something to chew on instead of eating other stuff in the evening. I am really trying but I can't loose. I am stuck at 189.5. I get so frustarated because I know the day before my clothes were looser. I woke up this morning all excited that I had lost but the darn scale still said 189.5. I did notice my ring was tight which always means I am retaining water. Ok, the truth is I drank some wine the night before. I think that was the reason behind the water retention.
I am 56 years old, so I would love to communicate with women in this age bracket. The younger you are the easier it is to take the pounds off.

I would also like to hear from anyone about different programs they have tried that they liked, like weight watchers, Tops, etc.

I went to weight watchers a long time ago and just felt the calorie restriction was too much. Maybe it has changed?

The other thing is that I have been exercising more. Hopefully just writing this will help me get past my plateau.

Thanks for listening. I hope to hear from you all soon.

Sherrill

deanea · December 2007

ok, so I'm not in your age group, but my mom is and has been struggling with extra weight for many years; and what I have noticed with her is exactly what you have already posted and already know but don't really want to hear.

1) Calorie restriction sucks and it is hard to maintain, it requires changing you eating habits entirely to
find calorie light foods so you can eat more during the day which takes alot of time, practice and
creativity
2) Being honest to yourself when you are counting calories is hard, every bite, sip, counts from a teaspoon of margerine, one nut, glass of wine, the drop of milk in your coffee, the spritz of dressing on your salad etc... all of those little things can add to 200 calories a day and more. If you add that up over a week......there is the pound you should have lost. Remember as well you only have to be on the minimal cals for the weight loss period, then you get maintenance calories for the day which is substancially more to live off of.
3) Exersice burns different calories for different people, maybe under estimating your calories burned would give you a better estimate of your extra calories aloud through exersice

What I have noticed with Mom is that she restricts all day then loses it at night, you have to spread throughout the day, as well, she forgets to think about the two cookies or the vodka tonic she had at four o'clock....there's her 200-400 hundred cals

Anyway, we are all here for the same reason, and changing your lifestyle is really hard, we are here to support you.... come vent to us when you want to eat that extra snack and we will get you through that craving time instead of you eating it!

sherrillbj · December 2007

Hi: I have been dieting off and on for about 12 years so I know that what you have said is true. I would like to put my food and exercise log on the message board to see what others think I might want to change. It would be nice to have some input from someone else. How would I do that? Can I copy and paste?

I think it is unrealistic to thing we can keep track of ever calorie. It might be better to just add some calories and call them the ones that got away!k

Enjoyed your input.

Thanks,
Sherrill

andybear · December 2007

Hi,
I'm in the 40+ age bracket and am having a hard time losing weight too. I'm also menopausal (since having a hysterectomy at age 35) and was wondering if maybe the hormone thing was to blame??? I know, I know I'm probably just making up excuses right. Anyways, I too find it so hard to count every single calorie and so I probably underestimate exactly what I've been eating and although I do work out, I probably overestimate just how much in that department too! I agree with you, there has got to be an easier way to do this, but what! I actually called a TOPS chapter just the other day and I'm going to try a meeting this week. What can it hurt. I'll let you know what I learn there. I guess for now though, as I've been told numerous times, "Slow and steady wins the race!" TTYL

sherrillbj · December 2007

Hi Andybear: Yes, I would like to know what you think of TOPS. I think I will increase my exercise so I can meet my goals with more confidence. I have a thread going for over 50s so please join us since you are going through menopause.

Have a great day

Sherrill

denmother46 · December 2007

Hi Sherrill,

I just hit the 50 landmark in August. It does seem to take longer to lose weight than it did when I was in my 20's ( used to be able to drop 5 or 6 pounds in 1 week to 10 days), however I still am very able to lose weight. It just takes more patience and sticking to your plan. Everyone is different so I can only relay what works for me. I started out with a plan to lose one pound per week. I commited to walking 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week. I figured that was way better than what I had been doing - which was nothing. After a week or so and having kept up the walking I found that I was rapidly increasing the number of minutes as well as the difficulty ( I live in a hilly area) and speed. After two or three weeks I started feeling so much better and was almost getting paranoid about missing a day. My walks increased to 90 minutes per day and I really didnt increase my calories much. The result has been that I have consistently lost 2 pounds per week for the last 11 weeks. So it is possible, for me anyway. It's just not fast. As many people have stated on this site, the 11 weeks would have passed anyway so now Im 22 pounds lighter instead of having done nothing.

I know that I and many others DO log pretty much every single thing that goes into our mouths. It may sound unrealistic, but it's really not that hard to do once you get the hang of it. It also keeps me from taking the extra little bites of things here and there. I dont use practically any condiments on anything except salad dressing and I measure that religiously.

Hopefully Loretta Jo will see your post and fill you in on TOPS, I am not familiar with it at all, but I know she is a member.

Please keep at it, you can still lose weight even though you're over 50!!!

christy_fl · December 2007

I don't know if you work, but for me, it's fantastic to be able to have this site on my computer at work clicked small, so when I put something in my mouth, I can type it right in so I don't forget. The hard part is when I'm at home! My downfall is meal planning. I'm working hard on that one. Those were my hardest hurdles...meal planning & having the site on consistantly.
Good luck & you can do it!
Also....what's FINALLY helping me get some weight loss is regulating my hormones.

stephestep · December 2007

Okay so I have a question, what is TOPS?

Nevada · December 2007

The time it takes to record every calorie is rewarded. Every time I look at an extra snack, I remember that I will have to record it. Then, it does not look so delicious.

And a glass of water first might help you forget the snack.

It helps that my food variety is small. All I ever have for breakfast, and a good part of other meals, is on my foods list, so a few checks and it is done. But, I still have enough variety that I am never bored.

It might help to plan and record meals in advance, so that you can spread your food throughout the day, and have a night time snack worked into the schedule.

Good luck.

sherrillbj · December 2007

A lot of you might disagree with me but I think trying to record every calorie is a bit obsessive. I think it's great when you are first starting out and learning about your eating habits. But there comes a time when you need to trust yourself enough to eat without fearing that extra 10 calories. This may become the beginning of an eating disorder, for some. I know since I became obsessed with food and became under weight by exercising all the time and not eating the right amount of food. I think it was because my life felt out of control and so I tried to eat less and exercise more to the point that it was all I could think about. I had a young son at the time, also. I feel sad when I think that the only way I could feel better about myself was to be thin.

If this sounds like you please don't. Your weight isn't who you are. I am sure you have many more qualities that are just as important if not more.

Be kind to yourself.

sherrillbj · December 2007

TOPS is for taking off pounds sensibly.

Cloe · December 2007

I so can relate, I'm on different meds that make you gain weight, so just when I loose a couple of pounds, I seem to gain them right back. I'm getting very discouraged, almost ready to throw in the towel uuuuuugggggghhhhh!:sad: :grumble:

Paeonia · December 2007

I also find it unreasonable for myself to be able to account for every single extra calorie I have...for example, took a few sips of my husband's Mtn Dew. I also had a handful of Fiddle Faddle...I'm very good about accounting for my main meals and drinks, but sometimes if I nibble I'm not going to go obsessive and figure out just how many calories that sip of soda was, etc. So I just go ahead and account for 200cals worth of nibbling right from the get go. Works well enough for me. If it makes up for more than just a bit of nibbling, then yes, I do make sure to count it because you can really let a LOT of calories add up if you're being TOO lax about it. Guess you just need to do what works for you, find a happy balance, etc...

deanea · December 2007

There are many different ways to change your lifestyle and lose the extra lbs you are looking to lose. Counting calories is just one way to do so. Weight watchers has the points, and sensible food program, there are private places like LA weight loss with there own programs, they all have different theories. Counting calories does mean that all calories have to be accounted for or you are just fooling yourself. If it goes in the mouth it is a calorie. It sounds like a good idea to add "the nibblers" calories to make up for the extra bites. But if you are not willing to account for thoses extra calories during the day you will not have success on the counting calories program and it sounds like maybe exploration into another program would be better suited to you.

Furpaws · December 2007

Hi ....
I'm past the mid-fifties mark. I've slowly gained at least 30 pounds in the last 5 years, so when I started this diet plan a few months ago, I thought I was sentenced to spend the rest of my life wearing "grandma pants" and baggy shirts. It was a slow start, but I finally hit the 10 pound mark this past weekend

. Now I'm motivated to stick with it. What did I do? First, I got real honest with myself and realized that this is not just a diet, but a lifestyle change. I want to get healthy and stay that way - and that isn't going happen without some work and self-discipline. I know I have a weakness for cookies, cheese pretzels, pastries, tortilla chips and red twizzlers - to name a few, which are all high carb - high glycemic index JUNK. So I STOPPED BUYING THEM. I also stopped buying Lean Cuisine (loaded with sodium and assorted junk), white potatoes and corn. I read labels - anything with a high sugar content (or fat) doesn't go in the cart. Not being a huge meat eater, I adapted a vegetarian "diet" the week before Thanksgiving. So I eat a lot of fresh veggies, grains and fruit - mostly whole foods. I go to the gym at least 3 times during the week - use the elliptical machine, weight machines and jog on the treadmill; and I run at least 30 minutes each Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting. And I use the food diary. I log in my meals and snacks in advance - first thing in the morning. So I know that if I snarf a bagel (approx 300 calories) from the break room at work, I'll have to cut something out from dinner. My ideal weight is around 135, so I calculated my BMR on that weight, added 400 calories to that (for exercise) and I'm averaging around 1500 calories a day. I look in the mirror now and I can see my "old" young self coming back! It takes work, but it's worth it. Next time you're thinking about sneaking a handful of carmel corn, do a Google search for articles about sugar, aging and cancer. That will make you think again. Guaranteed. Good luck!

greena · December 2007

I think "furpaws" is right on track. I've successfully lost about 50 pounds, and mostly kept it off for 8 years. It takes a real lifestyle change to become the person you want to be - healthy and fit. VERY little processed foods, added sugar, high-fat foods, and fried foods. And while they say 30 minutes of exercise is fine for minimum health, you really need 60-90 minutes of exercise each day to lose weight.

Good luck in your journey! It's well worth the effort. This site is a great start.

cmriverside · December 2007

I don't think it would work for me to not account for all my food by logging and keeping track. I would start to rationalize, and go back to my "constant grazing" which is what got me to 195.

What got me to 170 was a strict adherence to this website (well, there were some days I went over by a lot- but I still logged the calories.) Some days I didn't want to log, or I was busy all day. There have been probably 6-8 of those no logging days since I started on August 22.

slimpickins · December 2007

Every journey starts with a small step! I want to lose weight I keep putting it off but do not want Type 2 Diabetes or heart related problems .I want to lose at least forty pounds not for vanity but for good health,I know it isnt easy but today I found this site and know I am not alone.

can't budge the weight

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