OT - Going on a Diet

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Wed May 05, 2004 3:48 pm

I weighed myself in the gym last night. I'm at 236 pounds. I should be under 200. So it's 37 to go.

Good luck everybody!

This was a great idea, Jessie.

Darwin · Post by **Darwin** » Wed May 05, 2004 4:03 pm

Jerry Freeman wrote: Underweight BMI = <18.5
Normal weight BMI = 18.5-24.9
Overweight BMI = 25-29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

Here's an online BMI calculator:
http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm

Cool! My BMI for 6'3" at 199.5 lbs comes out to 24.9--just barely "normal", but normal, nevertheless.

When I joined the Army, at 135 lbs, it was 16.9 = "underweight". (I've switched back to my previous avatar--bayonet training in Basic Training at the lovely Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, which shows this pretty well.)

At my top weight of 255, it was 31.9 = "obese".

So, I've hit both extremes and am now back near the middle. Now it's time to head for the middle of the normal range.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Wed May 05, 2004 4:20 pm

JessieK wrote:
Chuck_Clark wrote:Can I play, too?
Absolutely! Welcome to the Shrinking C&Fers' Club!

Ahem... how many would sign up for a whrinking shislte club? I'm betting the jokes will be ... um... colorful? (LOL! I just know I typed 'shrinking whistle" - I know I did! ... what was in that cup o'joe, anyway??)

I'm in!!!

I'll send spares to antstastegood if he'll "adopt" all the ants that have decided that my house is a antspa.

I'm trying to pick up my whistles instead of chocolate - oh look - I said the word and my pants got tighter... sigh

I'm serious - need to toss 30 pounds.

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Wed May 05, 2004 4:33 pm

I don't really have a goal--well, I do, but it's not weight-related.

Something tells me when I am again employed and we don't have to be so careful, my weight will stabilize at right about where it was before.

Besides, I get very suggestable when I lose significant amounts of weight. Once I lost down to about 240 and joined a religion.

Upon returned to a more "normal" weight (for me), my normal personality reasserted itself, as nature sought to reestabilish the pattern that was meant to be.

-James

chattiekathy · Post by **chattiekathy** » Thu May 06, 2004 11:05 am

Ok, :roll: I'm in too. I'm not givin out any details though, but I've really got a lot to lose!!!

:roll:

Cheers,
Kathy

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Thu May 06, 2004 11:34 am

Other than 4 pieces of leftover sushi that I worked in yesterday, I stuck to it all day. Today is looking good, too.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Thu May 06, 2004 11:45 am

One good hint... after you check to see what your current weight is (if you choose to do so) then COMPLETELY IGNORE THE SCALE ... otherwise it will drive you nuts! We tend to want some reinforcement that we are accomplishing something, but that is often *lied* about by the scale, which doesn't know the difference between fat weight and muscle weight, and pays no heed to our 'time of the month'... avoid depression...

You *know* whether or not you are doing your committment.
You *know* where you want to be.

Keep your eyes on the goal, not the scales. ... or the goodies...

have *one* SMALL goodie once in a while (that's not 'once in a while' every hour, annie, it's once in a greater while than that... like once every other day, no more than once a day) so that your cravings for them won't drive you nutso...

If you have a sweetened beverage several times a day, cut that in half - (2 down to 1, 7 down to 3 1/2, etc, or drink half as much each time), and better yet, if you sweeten your own, cut the sweet by up to half as well... well at aleast a little... think how sweet the taste of success will be after that slightly less sweet drink

I'm good at preachin', gotta be good at doin'...

I think I'll go -practice a bit o'whistle and then have some salad.

chas · Post by **chas** » Thu May 06, 2004 12:02 pm

I'm at a wall. In the last 5 years, I haven't been able to get below 169 or 170, although this year I didn't gain anyhing in the winter. This is only about 5 pounds more than I weighed my junior year in high school, even during track season, but it's 15-25 more than I weighed between the ages of 17 and 25. I'd love to lose 20, but it ain't gonna happen, at least not this year. Put me in for 10.

I have peanut butter and toast for breakfast, a few handfuls of peanuts in the afternoon, and a nutritious albeit somewhat large and late supper.

I also run about 20 miles a week and do quite a bit of outdoor work in the summer, which is long here.

Oh, yeah, there's also the beer, the consumption of which goes up as I sweat more. Beer and music are my only vices, so I'm not giving them up.

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Thu May 06, 2004 12:17 pm

OK. So far so good.

BTW, I lost 18 lbs last fall (starting from 175), kept most of it off until a few months ago, then gained half of it back, mostly during the last two months. Now I'm intent on working my way down to where I was aiming for in the first place.

So far I've been able to walk past the bananas and pick up an apple (sometimes with cheese or cottage cheese) every time. If I eat one banana, I'll immediately want to eat six. If I start an apple, I may find I'm satisfied halfway through and put the rest in the refrigerator for later.

And I haven't touched the ice cream (same thing happens as with bananas if I get started).

At a point where I felt hungry, but knew I didn't really need much food, I heated up a mug of Swanson's natural/low sodium chicken broth (15 calories) plus about 30 calories worth of lowfat cottage cheese, heated right in the broth. That keeps me feeling full for several hours.

Another good item I've found is low sodium V-8 juice. A serving is 30 calories, lots of vitamin C, an amazing amount of lycopene, beta carotene, etc., and it's right there. No fuss, just pour.

Best wishes,
Jerry

tubafor · Post by **tubafor** » Thu May 06, 2004 12:26 pm

Here's an arm around the shoulder to all of ye who are on this path. I'm currently on a medically monitored fast - using soy based protein product, and no regular food for the first 12 weeks, and transitioning back the remaining 8. I know I won't hit the weight I need to be at, but it will be a good start, and if I can learn some important lessons along the way, I'm hoping to continue losing and avoid bariatric surgery.

Thus far, it's been a decent ride... I started at 486, and am down to 433 as of today's weigh-in.

The best part - I'm off of all my diabetic medicines, and my blood sugars are right on the money.

The effect on my knees (arthritis in both - basically down to bone-on-bone contact) has been dramatic indeed.

So, I'm with you all! The path I'm on is a little more drastic, but we're all headed down the road together. And, for the first time in many years, I'm actually thinking I might live long enough to see the end of that road!

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Thu May 06, 2004 12:47 pm

Oh my God, Cal! No food for 12 weeks?!? It's great about your progress. Congratulations!

Jerry, thanks for the broth/cottage cheese and apple suggestions. I think I'll go have an apple now. I am getting a little dizzy.

Annie, I rather like the scale, when I get on it only once a week. Of course I am fantasizing about losing 15-20 pounds in a month, but even 8 or 10 would be acceptable.

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Thu May 06, 2004 12:56 pm

BTW, the low sodium V-8 juice tastes best in a mug, heated in the microwave.

Best wishes,
Jerry

Darwin · Post by **Darwin** » Thu May 06, 2004 1:05 pm

Jerry Freeman wrote:At a point where I felt hungry, but knew I didn't really need much food, I heated up a mug of Swanson's natural/low sodium chicken broth (15 calories) plus about 30 calories worth of lowfat cottage cheese, heated right in the broth. That keeps me feeling full for several hours.

An odd thing that I discovered a while back was that when I feel a craving for sugar, drinking about half a glass of plain water will kill the craving. I have no theory about why that should happen, but it does.

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Thu May 06, 2004 1:13 pm

Dehydration often mistaken for hunger.

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Thu May 06, 2004 1:15 pm

An East Indian traditional physician I was acquainted with some years ago used to recommend sipping some piping hot water whenever you feel hungry. If the hunger goes away with drinking some hot water, you've saved yourself from eating more than you need. If you're still hungry after sipping some hot water, it's time to eat something.

He also used to say, "Don't eat if you're not hungry." It seems so obvious, but the impulse to eat may not have anything to do with hunger at times. Just stopping first and asking, "Am I hungry?" (I'm hungry, therefore I exist; however, if I'm not hungry, that doesn't prove I don't exist), often stops me from eating unnecessarily.

Reminds me of a joke.

A guy wakes up in a coffin. He thinks to himself, "If I'm alive, what am I doing here? On the other hand, if I'm dead, why do I have to go to the bathroom?"

Best wishes,
Jerry