Losing weight in 2004

“Thank you Scary Girl. Every kind word
makes me more determined. We all need
encouragement. I want to encourage
everyone who is trying to lose weight.

I know that you are working towards
your goal. You sound very determined
and strong willed. I believe that you will
be successful.”

“Woo Hoo gmc! Keep up the hard work.

SG, that doesn't sound so bad ( the WW core foods.) I like whole wheat stuff.”

“Still in the 185-189 range. I predict 180-185 as I move into XC ski season and mix that up with my biking.

I lost weight on WW many years ago, ended up gaining it back. My conclusion with my recent weight loss on Southbeach and training is that I do well on that kind of daily diet (low fat/good fat, good carb, etc) and adjust my calories by adjusting my carbs according to how much I am working out. I am in a Recovery/Transition phase now, it will be interesting to see how I do over the next 4 weeks.”

“My goal is to stabilize at 180/185.”

“I had a busy and food-filled weekend. Actually, I could have done a lot worse, but I could have done a LOT better, too. Weekdays are easier, its a lot more regimented.

Except today, I'm having lunch with a client. Hopefully I can find somehting good on the menu!”

“I wish there more items, on the menu at
restaurants, that were healthy to eat. I
wish that in making our choices that in
choosing the healthy would be so natural
and inherently obvious that there would
be no need for explanation. I believe people
would choose the more healthy entree if the
choices were available as an integral part
of the menu.”

“Can anyone quickly find the formula that was posted to calculate body fat %? I think Pathman posted it.”

“bodyfat I don't know... how can you? the BMI...i do know. here a link:
http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm

link to body fat calc:
http://www.he.net/~zone/prothd2.html

didn't look at it, so i don't know what ti's about
last edited: 10/26/04 1:27:03 PM”

“I'm gaining weight again :( aw nuts!”

“Gemini, I just learned today that BMI is a good measure for sedentary people, but not good for active people. Its just a ratio of height to weight, so if you're more muscular, its not a good indication of fitness. % body fat is better.

I saw that website, and I didn't like using my neck in the calucation. :)


Oh, Pathman!!!! Where are you?
last edited: 10/26/04 1:36:12 PM”

“yes-- BMI doesn't take into consideration fat vs. muscle.

You could weigh the same weight and actually be smaller if you carry more muscle and less fat!”

“great body fat link. It says I am at 16% which is far more realistic than the 22% on my scale. According to my scale my bodyfat hasnt changed in months even though I am visibly thinner. The site said I only need to lose 6-7 lbs to be at my ideal weight.”

“You can't really do a body fat test using just a chart and measuring. Some people have high muscle density which would make their measurements larger.
There are three ways: caliper (pinching) test, the water test, and the scales (electric current through the body that measure fat density.)”

“I've now lost 20 lbs.”

“I've been doing great.

Until this week.... my mom had surgery on Friday and her neighors have all been dropping by w/ fantastic foods. Main courses, breads, desserts, more desserts, etc. None of it particularly healthy. But, of course, I've been obligated to stop by mom's place for dinner. YUM.”

“pixaxe, its true that charts and measurements arent the most accurate way ( for that matter calipers or electrical current either) but they offer a general idea. The only accurate way is the salt water immersion deal which is waaaay expensive.

Tara, its really easy to eat poorly in stressful circumstances like yours. But when you put it into perspective, one week isnt gonna wreck months of work.”

“I can't find it in this thread. Thought it was in here.

women 30 years and younger

hips + (.8 x thigh) - (2 x calf) - wrist= %BF


cloth tape
dominant side for thigh, calf, wrist
thigh and calf at widest part
wrist just above the bony proturbance
( toward the hand)”

“Hmmm. I like Pathman's formula better. There's a difference of 7% between the zone calculater Gem posted and the formula posted above for me.”

“Went to Costco today and they were serving up some bean/beef burritos to try. It was good, but then I saw the bag had cheese/bean ones together in the bag too, and I'm thinking the cheese ones will be high fat.

I decided not to buy them, because of the bean/meat ones. The cheese/bean burritos were about 1/3 of the calories from fat, while the bean/meat ones were about half the calories being from fat.”

“Weigh-in is tomorrow. I wouldn't be suprised if I didn't lose anything. I have been working out, and have not put bad fats or refined sugars in my mouth in a week, but I've been eating plenty of "non-core" foods. When I write it down, its all good stuff, just not stuff allowed on WW. So, I'm still happy that I'm learning to change how I eat, but I may not see the results as quickly as I would if I stuck to the plan.”

“Path, is this in inches or centimeters?”

“Scary Girl, losing weight is not just cutting back on "white" products, refined sugar etc. but cutting calories.

Some news clips on losing weight are very misleading. One gal said she cut out soda and lost weight. If you only have one soda a day and cut that out, you will not lose weight. That gal that cut out soda and lost weight may have had 5 or more sodas a day and they don't tell you that.

If you eat processed foods, "white" foods or refined sugar in moderation, you will be fine. These new diets make you think that it's down right deadly to eat a white piece of bread or an occasional donut or candy bar.

I can see if you want to diet and remove these things from your diet, but they don't have to be shunned for a lifetime.”

“scary girl, inches”

“NOpe, trust me, I have my treats now and then. Just had a coconut chocolate cluster, but only one, not 4 like I typically would. Chocolate and other wonderfully tasty things will not be removed from my life. I'm planning for some fattening Thai food later this week. Yummy!!! I love those rice noodles!

I know that moderation is the key, and unless I break the habit completely and start fresh with small amounts of the tasty treats, I will not learn moderation. I am also learning to eat more slowly (that was our assignment for this week on WW - put that fork down once in a while!), figure out when I'm satisfied vs. stuffed, and what serving sizes are (which aids in reducing calories). I'm not as strict about measuring things out as I should be at this point - I should be measuring so that I can learn what a serving is.”

“Scary Girl, you just reminded me, and I keep forgetting to eat slower to let my body register the food intake and let me know I'm full.

Speaking of Asian food, my hubby is a riot. He thinks he is losing weight by doing these hour walks with some going uphill at points, but he comes home with a big square foam bucket of the greasiest Asian food I've ever seen.

Then I try to warn him about these variety juices he just bought. He can drink 3 of them easily at one time, and I explained they have a lot of sugar and calories. One of these tiny cans had 210 calories. He drank two, and I told him it was like eating a frank on a bun.

Scarey, psychological things really help too, like having a smaller dinner plate. Mine have no rim to them, so you can really fill your plate right out to the edge. I'm trying not to do that anymore.”

“lipstick--
once I calculated the approximate number of soda pops and beers my hubby would drink in a year... when you add up all the calories, it certainly makes a bigger impact!

I try to stay away from pop and juices.. might have one every now and then as a "treat", but I prefer just plain water-- sometimes with a lemon in it... :-)

that's little to no calories and much better for the body....

BTW-- did anyone see that new show "The Biggest Loser"? interesting...

but I think they aren't being realistic by ONLY measuring weight without fat analysis... Muscle weighs more than fat... The girl that was booted off might not have lost weight if she was reducing her body fat, and gaining muscle...”

“I think hubby sees all these thin Asian people and think they eat this food and stay thin. The Asian people I know don't eat this greasy stuff. They eat tiny thin slices of beef or chicken with a tiny bit of rice and veggies. Some cultures wrap the beef and rice in a lettuce type leaf. Also, the beef is cooked on this grill that's rounded on top, so the fat drips off, and they don't cook the beef in or with any oil.

pink, I have not seen the show, but you are so right about if the woman gained muscle, she would not show the weight loss potentially. My mom watches the show; I have to mentioned that to her.

I wonder how or if the show is going to deal with this problem of muscle gain. Of course, if the person did not do muscle training, they can't claim muscle weight gain. If I were that woman, I would fight back! BUT, also, how can they determine how much muscle was gained. Maybe in her case it was calculated that with her type of workout, she could not have gained that much muscle???”

“I think they are basing the weight loss on pure pounds, which I think is totally wrong! If they lose inches, but not pounds, that means they have changed their lean muscle and that they are healthier....

Also, each person is a different size and height to start with... 3 lbs on a 300 lb person is only 1% of their total weight. 3 lbs on someone who weighs 200 is 1.5%... etc...

The woman who was booted would get up earlier than the others and run every morning (or so they showed.)

One of the big guys actually GAINEd some pounds-- yet they said that he was getting thinner... this is why I attribute it to possible muscle gain vs. fat... I wonder if they thought enough to go to the potty before getting on the scale (to help them "lose" some water weight... LOL)

I personally didn't think it was fair-- but I think the others MAY have been thinking--she's smaller, so she has less lbs to lose...”

“Hey, have any of the women on this board heard of a health and fitness club called "Curves"? there's a new one in my office bldg... I'm wondering if it works and how much it might cost....”

“Someone mentioned that cutting out one soda a day wont result in weight loss...

If one eliminates 100 cal per day from their diet they will lost 10 lbs in one year (the average soda has more than 100 cal per serving, so does juice ). Add an extra soda each day and add 10 lbs in a year.”

“Curves are around everywhere - I hear people like them a lot. See if you can get a trial pass to work out and see if you like it.

Birch, I cut out the soda calories by switching to diet. I did not lose any weight. Theoretically, loseing 10 lbs makes sense, but in reality, it doesn't happen. I'm not sure why. I don't think I changed how I ate at all, but I certainly didn't lose the weight.

Don't you think on the Biggest Loser show those people have enough pounds to lose before their muscle mass starts showing? Seems like it to me. But, I've never been that big, so I'm not sure.

Weigh-in today, I doubt I've lost anything. But, I still have made better choices and started exercising, so that's a victory in my book. Working on getting the habits to stick...”

“Scary Girl, what did you choose to eat
when you had lunch with your client?

I belief that you will establish good
habits for yourself and be able to stick
to them.”

“I had a french dip sandwich with cheese, on a huge hunk of white bread, and fries to boot. I enjoyed every bite of it. :)

And then, I had veggie soup for dinner.”

“Scary Girl,

You crack me up!

BTW, I am now down 21 lbs.”

“Bummer. I was up 0.4 lb today. Overall, I made better choices, but I can certainly make a few more. I thought my exercise regiment would help me, and it probably did. I'll consider 0.4 lbs no weight change, instead of going up, becuase its pretty negligible.

Going to put my focus on body fat, not weight.”

“all I can say is carb cycling:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par30.htm

calories from liquid?? What's that? I think I didnt' have no calories from liquids for years. Well, besides the alcohol calories while backpacking.”

“New report out by the CDC.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad347.pdf

It shows height and weight trends for American men and women. Men average about an inch taller now than in 1960, but about 30 more pounds! For my age group (40-49), the average weight for men is 196 pounds! I'm 153, so I guess have have some work to do, since I always like to be "above average"....”

“Today's weigh-in was 220, down 10 pounds in 15 bag nights. It appears that I need at least 45 more bag nights!”

“Scary, those Curves places are turning up all over the place. You probably know it's an all women gym.

Does the gym work? It will if you go often enough. The excersize bike will tell you how many calories you burned. Weights are nice to have a toned look, but you have to challenge yourself and not do weights that are too light or bicycle for a short time.

It sounds like you need someone at the gym to start you off right by telling you how many reps to do and how many sets to do of each weight excersize.

Don't worry about falling off the wagon sometimes. You sound like you are on the right track. Not everyone can go cold turkey. Hmmmm, turkey, mayo, bacon, lol :)”

“Mmmm, turkey. Bacon is good, I'm not a fan of mayo. :)


Had a horrible day on the WW plan yesterday. But, I've stuck to it today, in addition to a great run/walk this morning. I'm looking forward to going out to dinner tonight...I think I'll have myself a beer!”

“Down 1.8 lbs today. I'm not quite sure how. I wasn't particularly careful about my "cheating" but I again did make much better choices this week than I have in the past. Working out and a ton of water probably helped, too (I've peed every hour on the hour today). "Long-term" is my mantra. :)”

“It's a very good mantra SG.

I dropped below my pre-wedding weight today. My metabolism has kicked into high gear and the halloween candy I've downed hasn't made a dent, surprisingly. It's been three years of effort to lose 45 pounds and eight sizes. Three years may seem like a long time but that weight's not coming back.
I don't diet. Good fuel for the body with some treats thrown in here and there and lots of excercise is what works best for me.”

“Sass, that's what I'm working at. I figure that's the only "diet" that's gonna stick around for the long term!”

“Sass, that's pretty impressive and probably the hardest thing to do. Everyone wants to loose the weight quick, not realizing (well yes, we realize, but don't want to realize I guess) that that's the wrong way to do it.

i am actually not on a diet anymore. thought to myself #&%!$ the diets. I still eat healthy and not late in the evening, but if I feel like chunck, well then I eat chunck.

Can't promise thought that this will last forever. I prolly be back on a diet in a month or so. lol”

“Sass, 8 sizes! That's pretty amazing.

I have to admit, sometimes when I'm looking for a quick fix, and wanting the weight to come off quicker, I think about you and the patience you had to take the weight off and live healither. You are an inspiration to me!”

“4 lbs so far gone....

wish me luck to continue on the diet while i'm in GA... gonna be hard!”

“Gem,Thank you! For me it wasn't all that hard. I got to a point where I felt good in my body and just concentrated on being stronger, not smaller.”

“Congratulations to all, who are so
determined to improve their well being.

I am now down 23 lbs.”

“I've sworn off of fast foods (not that I ate that much to begin with!) and am adding lots of veggies and fruits to my diet now... ;-) Oatmeal for breakfast every day. :-)

When I do eat out, I am trying to avoid the big slabs of meat (wasn't really a big red meat fan to begin with) and trying to dress my salads with lots of veggies and a minimum amount of salad dressings.. :-)

I drink lots of water, too! Now that I have to start training for the Breast Cancer walk, I hope to get lots of exercise in, too!”

“pinkbubelz,
try some some of the Chicken of the Sea
pink salmon that comes the vacuum sealed
pack over a salad at home. I like it.”