geekymom57 Member

Congratulations! Doesn't it feel great to be successful? The dietitian I'm working with said she likes to have people select goal weights associated with a particular time in one's life as either an interim goal or the long-term goal. This lets us peg the weight to something we know and remember having achieved. I'm…

Congratulations! I returned to a former workplace a few weeks ago after working elsewhere for about 8 months. It's been so encouraging to have people tell me how great I look, ask how much weight I've lost, etc., even though it's only been about 15 pounds. I saw someone today who I hadn't seen since returning and asked if…

I'm an old (54) married lady so my notions of socializing might not meet your standard. However, long ago when I was a full-time grad student and also trying to lose weight, my other poor friends and I would get together at one of our homes just to talk, watch crappy TV, share a meal (planned potluck), etc. Even now, when…

Do you enjoy going to the gym or do you do it because you have to? I ask this because IMHO, going to the gym often doesn't make me feel better about my life/myself, unless I'm doing it because I get some enjoyment out of it. We have a gym quality elliptical and a home theater so I don't really need to go to the gym to get…

I was concerned for a bit about the sugar and carbohydrate totals, but my dietitian reviewed my food choices and said they were all fine. I have virtually no processed food in my diet, so the "culprits" were fresh fruit, which she didn't want me to cut down on. So, as others have said, you probably don't need to worry much…

With the health and lifestyle challenges you have at the moment, perhaps you could work with a dietitian to develop a set of meals and foods that would accommodate your food restrictions and provide adequate nutritients. I worked with one for a few months to make sure I was finding the right balance to lose weight yet not…

How great that you got immediate feedback and support--that's one of the benefits of this site, I believe--people are there if/when you need them. The minute (well, maybe not the minute, but the moment) I start to feel like I don't want to go to the gym, I don't want to use our elliptical, etc., I think of what I would be…

Booze and bakery! I always knew these were high calorie but until I started actually weighing (bakery) and measuring (booze) I didn't realize how quickly the calories add up. Good thing for me that I'm not a fan of exotic mixed drinks, so can keep the calorie total by having water or seltzer as a mixer. Some people…

If you don't have time in the morning, then prepare the items the night before. For me, a planned breakfast is the best way for me to be sure that I eat a healthy breakfast. I take a medication that requires that I wait an hour before eating, so that means I eat at work. I have found that a 80 calorie Light and Fit (6 oz?)…

To start, I have two daughters (21 and 24) so I put on my "what would they say/think" glasses. I think they would think it's a pretty dress and not their personal style (one is vintage-y, the other more "sophisticated yet trendy"). Bottom line--did YOU like it and how you looked in it? If so, really really try to ignore…

Ditto to everything others have already posted. I can see a 4 pound weight difference in a single day and it's not even constant/predictable as to when it will be the heaviest/lightest. Just keep doing what you're doing that's good, pay very close attention to the portions and food--esp. as one has noted the "generic"…

I think you did just the right thing. I've know people who have been very ill who have been complimented on their weight loss by people who didn't know they'd been sick--very awkward for both parties. Giving a general "You look great!" is still a compliment, just not as specific as commenting that someone had lost weight.

A number of years ago I joined Weight Watchers with one of my daughters. We both went to a few sessions and then stopped attending. I did continue to use the points calculator and the resources, but paying to attend a meeting and weigh in just didn't make sense to me, when the biggest thing I needed was to watch my food…

So true! I completely relate. I remember almost gasping in shock when I saw my then-boyfriend (now husband) toss a handful of M&Ms in his mouth. I don't think I had ever seen that done. One of my sisters knew that she'd found the man she'd marry when she saw his sock drawer was organized by color and type of sock, and he…

How frustrating! I obviously don't know the dynamics of your relationship, but it sounds a bit as if he is using a passive-aggressive approach to try to influence your choices. If doesn't want to eat within the guidelines that's his choice, but your food choices shouldn't be controlled by his actions. My husband doesn't…

Many good points and tips have been made already. I would add that from my personal experience, I often set unrealistic goals that were not sustainable in the long run and then got frustrated with myself when I couldn't sustain the effort. Losing and keeping off weight in the long-term will require significant long-term…

I agree that doing whatever it is consistently is the key. Personally, I do midnight to midnight, since those time points don't move and having a fixed parameter helps keep me honest. If I'm up later than usual and decide to have a late night glass of wine, I know it's going to count against my calories for the day and…

If you eat each piece of candy corn individually AND eat each segment of the piece separately (nibble off the white tip, then the orange, then the top part) you can make a little bit last a lot longer. Of course, I am from a family where OCD tendencies are manifested in everyday activities such as eating candy corn in the…

I think you have made an important realization that your weight is not the key to whether you are happy or not. As others have posted, it may be useful to work with a therapist, and perhaps with someone who has experience working with anorexics or others with eating disorders that involve body dysmorphia.

Congrats on your weight loss so far! That's impressive. This is a really useful site and you can see every day the huge variation in weight loss. I like that even when I feel frustrated at keeping within my net calories, exercising, etc., and am not losing, I can see people who are having similar experiences and know I'm…

What do you the majority of the week, i.e., grad student or nurse? If you're mostly working weekends, for example, then you would probably set your activity level based on the other 5 days a week, and add in extra calories on work days as "exercise."

I agree with the above 100%. If you're a numbers kind of person, do the math for the prior week's net calorie intake. Using the general rule of thumb of a pound = about 3000 calories, if you haven't exceeded the amount your body needs for maintenance by about 10,000 calories in that week, it's close to impossible that you…

As others have posted, be sure you're eating enough, but aside from that--ignore it. I have a decent amount to lose (at least 35 more pounds to get to my goal weight which would still put me at the top of the "normal" range for my height), am close to obsessive about logging all my calories, keeping to my net calories of…

I weigh myself several times a week at different times of the day, but only log my weight in MFP if it's a morning weigh-in, it's down AND there's no unusual variable that would artificially influence the "down," e.g., I've been sick, or worked outside in the heat for hours, etc. I'm at 1200 net alories, log everything I…

I may have misunderstood this message, and if so, I apologize. However, I have to respectfully disagree with this recommendation. I just read a credible article by degreed professionals working in nutrition and weight loss, which specifically said not to do this. Calories are calories and sort of having some sort of…

Nothing personal intended but--being lazy is to true for so many of us! I just returned to my former place of employment after being elsewhere for the past 9 months. Several people had lost significant amounts of weight and they said (mostly the same words "I decided not to be lazy any more--it was the time to do it,"…

As others have said, just keep logging and learning more every day about what you are eating and when. Then choose one of those meals that you're ashamed about and ask yourself why you ate what you did and when--was it convenient? Comfort food? Boredom? Cheap? All of the above? Breaking habits is really really REALLY hard,…

An accurate food scale is a very useful tool. I weigh or measure almost everything that isn't portioned (e.g., slice of bread, etc.).So that I can not have to resort to measuring/weighing the rest of my life, I'm trying to develop a clearer idea of how much 3 oz of chicken "is" or 1/2 cup of rice, etc.. You may want to get…

In my humble and non-medical opinion, 9 pounds in 3 weeks for your weight goal seems like a lot of weight loss in that period of time. I've managed about 14 pounds in almost 5 months with a weekly calorie deficit that should result in about 1.5 pound/week. After about a month I had lost about 5 pounds and then went close…

Add me to the 1200 calories works if you choose the right foods group. I'm still at a stage where I weigh and measure almost everything that isn't pre-portioned, since it helps me develop a sense of how MUCH I can eat and still feel satisfied and meet my nutritional needs. My husband likes to go out for drinks, so I make a…