The Over 300 Club

HI everyone Well not such a good day I weighed in and nothing happened. But I feel like I have which even in my pants feel loser weird. 4surethistime have a great vaction. and thank you for your support .blazin you are so right it is hard to make a life style change small steps at a time. and you are doing so great. stillkristi congrats on the lose. reedwoman you can try sugarfree gum when your on line it keeps your mouth busyand fresh breath but mostly try the water it a good way to get it down without even thinking about it.
Everyone here is such an inspiration for me. I thank you all:flowerforyou:

Thank you stikristi I need that encouragement. I do feel different I would love to use a type measure I just don't think it would go around my body. maybe I try it see what happens,
Your doing great 32 pounds that is fantastic :flowerforyou:
Everyone have a great day

Ok, one last thing. I came accross an old notebook with my measurements and weight at my heaviest back in 2006. I decided I wanted a record of the whole journey, so I posted those numbers in my check in section. I see now that it back dates my ticker, too. So, I don't want to seem like I am cheating or something, but I did want an accurate record to compare my success to. Any thoughts?

Ok, one last thing. I came accross an old notebook with my measurements and weight at my heaviest back in 2006. I decided I wanted a record of the whole journey, so I posted those numbers in my check in section. I see now that it back dates my ticker, too. So, I don't want to seem like I am cheating or something, but I did want an accurate record to compare my success to. Any thoughts?

I say if you lost it you get to count it :happy:

Thanks!! :bigsmile:

Hey everyone I got the ticker after all I am hoping it well make me see things better everyone have a great night or good morning

Well, the weekend has went well so far. No problems with the eatting and I scrubbed house all day yesterday. from 10am til about 6 last night. No, my house wasn't completely disgusting , but we did some spring cleaning. Went thru old clothes of the kids to be trashed or donated, cleaned under and behind anything that can be pulled out and MOUNTAINS of laundry. 4 kids produce alot!!! So, I'm sure I burned some calories there. We are getting the house in order for when we go away. Hubby's brother is staying here one week and our sis-in-law the next to look after my 15 yr old step son and the animals. 12 days and counting !!!!! til I get to go see my family and spend some time with my daddy. :bigsmile:

I hope everyone is having a great weekend

Go Cindy, Go Cindy, Go Cindy!!!

And all the rest of us! Great day here, so I am thinking outside is a better place to be than inside behind the computer! Good job team, Check in you lurkers! And, Blaze, all the best, my dear!

Everyone have a great day! :flowerforyou:

Cindy, that's so great! I really believe that more than the pounds or inches lost, when we can internalize our success in those personal ways, it reinforces this as a positive lifestyle rather than just a means to an end! Good for you - I know your daughter will have great times with you!

Kristi - you count every one of those pounds!!! You worked hard for that ticker number, show it off and be proud.

BlazinEmerald - doesn't it feel great to have a sparkling spring fresh house! I'm so glad you are finding a way to go visit your dad...please go trusting your kids will be fine in the care of your family, and take this as "me" time....our thoughts are with you.

I'm having a good weekend. My daughter is moving home from school for a few weeks. She is a vet student and has a rotation at the zoo for 5 weeks before she heads up north for 2 months. We really have fun together, I'm glad to say, so it's going to be a treat having her home. I will drag her to the pool with me for company (well...not much dragging involved, she gets her "fins" from me}.

I am pretty proud of myself. Today is such a nice day, I went for a double length bike ride - going along both of my usual routes! The thing that made me happy is that if felt great to go twice as far as I usually do. I thought that once I got home and got off my bike, I would have total noodle legs, but I feel pretty good. Guess all that exercise is paying off! I don't tend to log my calories on the weekends - I try and use this time to practice keeping a mental track. I seem to be doing fairly well with that but even so, I'm happy to say that this weekend has been easier than usual to follow the plan without fighting cravings. Maybe good habits are starting to take hold|!!!

Have a good week ya'll!

Welcome loula! Glad to have you. And paddlemom and Cindy - WOW I love the way you both put those thoughts! It really is so much more than just a diet, isnt' it!

BlazinEmerald-Good job on that spring cleaning! You'd be surprised how many calories you burn cleaning! But I have one question-can you come to my house and help me spring clean???:bigsmile:

Oh hunny, lol I hate cleaning with a passion , but I'll gladly slave out my teenage step-kids, they work for food lol. Offer them a pizza or 5 bucks and they are there!!

So, I snuck a peek at the scale today even though my weigh-in isn't until Thursday. Why thursday you might ask, well thats the day I decided to get off my *kitten* and do something about my weight, and I refused to do the "I'll start Monday", cause I knew I wouldn't lol Anyway, it was the middle of the day I had eaten and drank plenty already and I still showed a loss, woo hoo can't wait for Thursday now :bigsmile:

Loula - Welcome to the 300 club, we are glad to have you. And your right, only someone who has been this size can understand what it means to BE this size and work for a healthier way of life.

Cindy- your so right! I found myself outside the other day "racing" my niece. I'd like to tell you I let her win (she's 3) but truth is , she beat me good lol but we had fun and she laughed the whole time cause Auntie Tracy was so silly. And playing with my 7 year old has become much more fun! Only 20 lbs gone but you can feel it in the way your reacts and feels after running around and goofing off.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

I can do this!!!!!! Today was weigh-in day. I lost 11.7 pounds!!! I'm so excited. That means it's working. My first goal was to lose 20 pounds by the end of May. I'm already over half way. This really encourages me to keep it up.
How's everyone else doing?
Thanks for the welcome Blazin and Kristi. So glad to be here.

Hi All,

My name is Craig and I live in Northwest Houston. I'd like to say thanks to Stillkristi for making me aware of this thread. She saw my ticker on a post and was curious as to how I have lost my weight and asked me to share a little in this thread.

I have been a member of MFP for around three months now I think. I was introduced to the site through a program here in Houston, Texas. The program is sponsored by the Methodist Hospital. I have been told that there are similar programs throughout the country. I had known about his program for about three years. As a matter of fact, I had friends who had followed the program and been very successful in it. But.....I didn't think I needed any help. I knew I had the will power and determination to lose weight all on my own. Sound familiar to anyone? Last summer when I turned 52 years old and my weight was 379 lbs, I finally accepted the fact that, I wasn't going to do it on my own. I accepted that my way was the wrong way and I began to look at other options. I looked briefly at the various surgical options because the thought of drinking shakes just didn't appeal to me. But, after weighing the options, I chose this plan to begin the process of learning to live and eat more healthier.

This particular program has three phases. The first is called New Beginnings. It consists of four; 200 calorie shakes a day for the first 12 weeks. Because your body is subsisting on so few calories, you are on very limited exercise during that phase. The shakes are a high protein, high nutrient blend of vitamins etc. that put your body into a state called ketosis. This is when the body is burning fat and not muscle. Men do as a rule loose the weight a little faster than the ladies in this process. After you overcome the mental hurdle of not eating, this phase is the easiest because there are no choices to make, other than what flavor of shake your going to have. Along with the meals there are weekly class room sessions that include lessons on proper nutrition, time with councilors, monthly labs and monthly visits with the staff doctor.

The second phase is called Adapting It. In this phase, you are reintroduced to food in your diet. Typically you will substitute 1 shake for 1 meal. The meal is designed by a staff dietician. For me this phase lasted about three weeks. During this time I transitioned from 1 meal to two meals to four meals a day. Once food was introduced, the shakes got old real fast.

Phase three is called Living It. This is the phase that I hope to remain in for the rest of my life. In this phase I am taking what I have learned in the class room and applying it to real world living. I begin each morning at 5:30 am. I do 30 minutes on the elliptical, a 10 minute cool down on the inclined bike and weight training three days a week. I also practice and teach Aikido classes two afternoons a week. The keys to success in any weight loss program are for me as follows. I hope these are helpful to you.

1- Have a plan. Know what you are going to do each day to make a healthier you. For me MFP is a big part of this. I log in my meals and workouts each day. I read the forums here for input from other people. Keep in mind, loosing weight and living a healthy lifestyle isn't a race. It's a journey. A journey that I am learning to enjoy and not dread. I really don't miss.......:noway: I mean...I really don't need the junk that I used to eat. I am learning to enjoy the new me.

2- Drink the water......A lot of water.......Even if you don't like it, it's the best thing for you.

3. Be accountable to someone. For me, the weekly meeting I attend through Methodist is now a part of my routine. The people I have seen fail to keep weight off or who fail to continue to lose weight are those people who once again begin to think that they can do it on their own.

4. If you have a bad day or a bad week, don't give up. Read these forums for encouragement and remember that nothing of real value comes without a cost. If it was easy, we would all have been skinny years ago

God Bless,

Craig

Good evening everyone!!!

I wanted to stop in and say HI

I am starting back exercising tomorrow afternoon. I am going to the State Fair Grounds and take my puppies for a walk.

I am excited!!!

I made some yummy low carb chicken enchiladas tonight. I posted the recipe in the food and nutrition section if anyone is interested. :drinker: :drinker:

Hi gang, Its late and I'm beat, so I am just checking in before heading to bed.

Southernbelle - hey, that elliptical will get easier! One of my friends, adopt4 on the THE Team thread started about two months ago doing elliptical and could only do about 7 minnutes. She now regularly does 30 minutes, 40 mintues, etc. You can do it, just keep at it!

Blazin - WTG on the weight loss in advance!

Cindy, your question about the 1710 vs 1600 calories. You will find that the number of calories per day recommended by MFP decreases as your weight decreases. Here's why: MFP figures your daily calories based on your basal metabolic rate (BMR) which is the number of calories needed to sustain your weight if you did no exercise in the day. Then, based on your weight loss goal, it builds in a calorie deficit. For example, in the goal section if you selected 2 lbs. a week, it will calculate a 1000 calorie a day deficit. At the end of the week, that will equal 7000 calories, which is equal to 2 lbs. So, as your weight decreases, your BMR will decrease, and so will your calorie recommendations. Hope that helps. Good job on your exercise. One day of just walking is probably a good change up, anyway!

loula - WTG!!!!! 12 lbs down! Yay!!! We can do this!

MPJS - I so hear you on the night time eating. Thats a tough habit to break. We do it for comfort, I guess. The best thing, of course would be not to eat at all at night. Say set a goal and tell yourself "I won't eat after 9:00. or 8:00 or whatever. Second best thing, what if you tried substituting a nice hot cup of herb tea? No calories. Or a glass of low fat choc milk? Or, allow yourself a small snack, weigh it, count it, and when its gone, its gone. Look for very low calorie options. You'll find a way. Keep working on it, and remember, beating yourself up is just wasted energy. Instead, use that energy to figure out the problem and solve it! You can do this! Look how far you've come! You posted your ticker! YAY. You lost 4 lbs YAY YAY WAHOO!!!!! GOOD JOB!

Craig, thank you so much for sharing your story with us! The simple steps in your plan are so great! Thanks for being such an inspiration!

Aur23a - YAY!!! You're on track! Its happening! GOOD JOB!!! WTG!

Leanlioness, welcome back! Glad to hear you are doing so well. Hang in there with us, and thanks for posting that receipe!

Take care everyone. You lurkers, check in, we need to hear how you are doing! I hope by the end of the week, we all see movement in our tickers! GO TEAM!!!

Hi everyone!!! I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCK!

Hello to our new members!!!! You will love it here.

Way to go all on your WL and all the efforts you have put in this past week. Slowly but surely we will attain our goals.

Craig, thank you for posting and I hope you will stick around! I think the main reason I failed before is because I was too proud to ask for help, and admit to myself that I needed help. Now I see that makes all the difference. That and committing to yourself. Funny how we can keep promises to others but tend to disregard ourselves in that respect.

Well, all of us here are on the right path. MPJS!!! WAYYYYYYY TO GOOOOOOO. I am so proud of you and happy for you for opening up:happy: !!! slowly but surely. Try not to keep the junk food around, only the healthy foods, and if you must snack at night, then at least the damage won't be as bad.

I don't miss any of the junk foods I used to have, or the sodas, or the galon ice creams. What is it they say about forming a habit. It takes 21 days to form one and 21 days to break one. The minute I realized that I was fine when I did not give in to my cravings or urges to cheat, I decided to stick to my guns. I actually feel much better when I ignore a craving, then I did satisfying one!!! Like Tam said a few posts back, I eat to give fuel to my body, not to revel in the taste or smell of food. When I am soo busy that I allow myself to be very hungry, I pace myself, drink water first, and chew very slowly, so that I don't eat too fast or overeat. And if you pay attention to your body's response, if you are actually feeling hunger pangs, after the few bites, they will dissipate and you can relax and enjoy your meal without still thinking that you are starving so you have to fill up to erase the void.

On another note, never have I been so glad to be back from a trip, so I can get back to my routine and my life!!!
I had a great time and was happy to see everyone, but could not wait to come back.
At night I was too exhausted to log on and post, but I did read some, and logged in my daily intake and exercise/activities...
For the very first time I walked all the way from security check-point at Hartsfield, all the way to my gate, without stopping (pretending to buy a mag or something) to catch my breath. I had no back pain, and I was actually walking faster and lugging my carryon! and did the same on the way back. It felt great.
I managed to stick to my plan the entire time. I actually enjoyed Pollo Tropical... my favorite eatery in Florida, and had the chicken breast/no skin (for the first time too... lol). It was not as hard as I thought it would be at all... I just wished I had managed more exercising while there. I tae bo'ed once, but I did go swimming and did some exercises in the pool, and I figure the walking at the airport and the dancing I did Friday and Sat, count for exercise.
I think I am ready for my 2 week caribbean vacation!!! I can do it and not falter.
Now, my weigh in at 3pm today will tell the true strory!!! :sick: Will keep you guys posted.

Have a great day everyone, and let's keep our heads and spirits up!!!