ImitatetheSun Member

I'm 5'8, too, and just starting out. This thread is pure gold! Thank you all so much for sharing! I've been overweight my whole life and have no idea what to strive for, either. P.S., GingerSka, thank you for the photos - you look great!

I've had two weight watchers scales - one older and one newer than the model you have - and there's nothing in either manual of mine about calbrating them. Your weight will change if you eat, drink, or go to the bathroom, and everyone gains about 2-3 pounds by the end of the day compared to the beginning. What's important…

Welcome to the world of unsolicited comments associated with losing weight. Even if people think they mean well, offering your their approval or advice is an extension of their bigotry - they are thin because they deserve to be, whereas you are trying to earn the privilege after years (or a lifetime) of being unworthy.…

I think so, too. I'm six months away from my next test, but I've reduced wheat to a once-a-week thing, which might make it go down even more. I'm impatient to find out. :)

They went from 1,100 to 430 just by cutting high fructose corn syrup (it's a known thing - there are lots of studies on NIH's site). Now that I walk for an hour a day they are down to 210. After being 800 or higher since I was 10 years old, that 210 feels like a huge victory. :). If you get all the HCFS out of your diet,…

Years ago I cut out high fructose corn syrup to help manage my triglycerides. I never missed it after it was gone. This year, I gave up artificial sweeteners but kept real sugars - I add honey to plain yogurt and eat a cup of blueberries or strawberries at mid-morning. I didn't think I'd feel much difference - I just…

Generally, I've found that the overweight guys I've taken an interest in are holding out for women far thinner than me. So I feel better about your odds than mine. :)

I'm trying to figure out what to do with avocados that doesn't involve guac. I put some frozen pre-cooked shrimp in the fridge to thaw overnight and then diced half an avocado and the shrimp in the morning with a few grains of salt to make it pop. It was FABULOUS and it was something like 36 grams of protein and 4 grams of…

Yes! This was my experience the first time I lost weight! All the people at work who complimented me a lot in the early days then started telling me "okay, you should stop now. You're starting to look unhealthy" when I still had 80 more pounds to lose. and it was at least a dozen people making negative comments like that.…

I think this is the best advice. If you're that close to your goal and as disciplined as you've been, it might be time to realize your metabolism is burning for a much smaller person now and you're going to be measuring weight in ounces lost instead of pounds. If you turn your attention towards toning your body and…

This is beautifully said, and matches what I was thinking too - lap band surgery is for people who face such serious consequences that 800-calorie diets are a less bad option. Many serious health problems - diabetes, hypertension, etc, are substantially reduced when someone loses 10 percent of their body weight, so the…

I just gave up Diet Coke in January! Before that I had about two 20-ounce bottles per day for 20 years. I drank caffeinated tea instead. Republic of Tea makes a Tea called something like Hi Caff that has the equivalent of a cup of coffee's worth of caffeine per tea bag. The French Toast flavor is out of this world. Now…

I'm having the same problem - 10 days of strict weighing and measuring plus 10,000 steps on the pedometer (half through a one-hour fast walk) and I've gained 3 pounds since starting. I've never had this happen before in all my previous weight loss attempts. To compensate, I'm measuring my hips, waist and bust instead of…

I don't know if this is any kind of an answer, but I just read somewhere that butter has some less-common nutritional benefits, like K2, which is good for tissue growth and repair and other things. Especially if you crave it at a specific time of the month, maybe it has a nutrient your body wants. You didn't say what you…