topic Re: Weight Loss Discussion in Wellness

Weight Loss Discussion

Yardlie — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 18:14:59 GMT

Anybody actually losing weight? How? I only had 15 pounds to drop, but I'm having a devil of a time trying to understand weight loss...and I'm a health professional.

Weight Watchers did not work for me. I hear the new plan doesn't work for many people. So I switched to counting calories...which I really read up on. I understand that it is not quite as easy as "calories in" vs "calories out." Weight loss should be easier with high quality protein than a lot of carbs.

OK...so the first 5 lbs came off easily...glycogen stores. I hit a plateau at 8.5 lbs. I stayed there for a week. Yesterday, I totally blew my 1200 calorie diet because I had a lot of appointments and meetings...went out to eat twice. Ate a lot of fat, carbs, and I ate a pretty good amount of protein.

This morning I got on the scale expecting to see weight gain, and I lost 1.5 lbs. I give up! Anyone understand weight loss? I need help.

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

depglass — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 19:03:06 GMT

You sound like you are doing just fine. One individual weigh in doesn't mean much.

Edit: Weight Watchers does work for me, when I do it, that is. I use the old system, 50 calories is 1 point. High fat I add one point per serving. High fiber I subtract one point per serving. Its on the mark 99% of the time. So I count points, meaning I'm counting calories. I didn't bother with the new system, not one of the leaders at my meeting could explain how the calculator I had just purchased worked. I got disgusted and quit after a couple weeks. Yes, I could figure it out for myself, but all this group did was sit there and talk about phone apps. Cell phones don't work for my house. What are leaders getting paid for if they can't explain the program?

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

CouponQueen — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 19:29:07 GMT

I never have had a weight issue but I have known many who have lost..and they said the key is excercise and moderation.....don't take more in then you burn!

Kudos to anybody for taking on this issue.

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

piperbay — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 19:46:54 GMT

I don't count calories but 1200 a day sounds too little in my opinion. I know I have to excercise for thirty minutes five days a week, minimum to keep the weight off. I just started doing the Leslie Sansone Walk tapes and have been enjoying them.

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

123SuzyQ123 — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 19:51:20 GMT

I agree that it seems like a mystery to me most of the time as well. I cut out carbs for a few weeks and lost about 14 lbs. Then last weekend I was craving ice cream, so I ate a big bowlful for the first time in months. I figured I would gain back some of the 14 lbs. I had lost, but so far I am staying steady at the 14 lb. loss!

I do realize that eating correctly and walking is what I need to do, but sometimes I mess up with ice cream!!

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

sidsmom — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 20:06:14 GMT

1200 is EXTREMELY low for anyone...no matter body height/weight. There are tons of calorie calculators out there that will guide you to the correct calorie baseline. I'll post a link below that I use. Yes, eating high protein will cause quick loss due to the low calorie count, but it's not sustainable. Carbohydrates are good....whole food, fruits & vegetables such as potatoes, quinoa, rice...they are not Satan's food! You NEED clean carbohydrates (read: no processed crackers, pasta, pretzels, snacky foods...even if low fat) to be active enough to gain strength & endurance w/ your exercise. Girl...you need to EAT! I would guess 1600-1800 MINIMUM. Do the formula from the links below:

http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/bmr/

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

I just read the beef jerky comment...tons of sodium. Log in all your food to Fitday.com or CRON-o-meter. Strive for 1000-1500 mg of sodium (or less)...that means no salt shaker! Logging your food will be a SHOCK to see how much sodium everything has. Good luck!

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

Yardlie — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 20:06:17 GMT

Depglass ~~ I know what you mean about the new Weight Watchers plan. The leaders at our meeting said that people who count the points are "an@l." They recommended doing the Simple Start plan and then converting to another plan that they have where you don't count points. I tried it for a month and had the usual initial drop from glycogen stores...and then nothing. Frustrating! I guess you are right about one weigh-in not meaning much. It is so frustrating to plateau like that.

CouponQueen ~~ You are lucky that you don't have weight problems. I'm usually thin, but I picked up a lot over the holidays and went on a new medication that caused weight gain. I went off it now, but I'm still dealing with the weight! My clothes just don't fit right with this extra weight on me.

Piperbay ~~ Yes, you are right that 1200 calories is not much. I'm often hungry at night and can't sleep, so I've discovered beef jerkey which is high in protein and low in fat and carbs. I need to add more exercise, but we are experiencing such a rough winter that it's hard to get out. I'll look into the Leslie Sansone tapes. Spring should be coming soon! Thanks for the tip.

SuzieQ4me ~~ Ice cream is one of my weaknesses too. I know what you mean about weight loss being a mystery. Your 14 lb. weight loss was good...lucky you!

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

straykatz — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 20:07:57 GMT

One thing I have learned is that unless the meal was really salty causing water retention then it doesn't show up on the scale for at least a few days....so what you ate yesterday may or may not catch up to you on the scale depending on how quickly you get right back on track.

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

Yardlie — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 20:14:40 GMT

On 2/26/2014 sidsmom said:
1200 is EXTREMELY low for anyone...no matter body height/weight. There are tons of calorie calculators out there that will guide you to the correct calorie baseline. I'll post a link below that I use. Yes, eating high protein will cause quick loss due to the low calorie count, but it's not sustainable. Carbohydrates are good....whole food, fruits & vegetables such as potatoes, quinoa, rice...they are not Satan's food! You NEED clean carbohydrates (read: no processed crackers, pasta, pretzels, snacky foods...even if low fat) to be active enough to gain strength & endurance w/ your exercise. Girl...you need to EAT! I would guess 1600-1800 MINIMUM. Do the formula from the links below:

http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/bmr/

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Sidsmom ~~ Thank you so much for the links. I'll check them out. I had been using MyFitnessPal (dot) com. It recommended 1200 calories for me. Maybe my body thinks it is in starvation mode!

Straykatz ~~ What you said makes sense. That's what I was afraid of...that it may show up later. We shall see. This dieting thing is so frustrating. Grrrrrr!

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

gazelle77 — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 20:19:05 GMT

I think no matter what diet you choose to consume, it is vitally important to do muscle strengthening exercises to keep fat burning muscle on your frame. You do not want to lose muscle when dieting because, if all you look at is the scale, and you are not building muscle, you will lose weight , but all in all not as quickly. Muscle does weigh more than fat, so at first the scale may not move, but, your clothes will fit better with the muscle replacing the fat. Many woman lose muscle as they age as do men and it is so important to keep a healthy muscle mass for keeping your metabolism up to burn fat. Muscle burns calories even at rest, fat does not.

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

Cranberries — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 20:22:00 GMT

I have used myfitnesspal for bulk/cut. I don't usually keep up with the daily counting otherwise.

You only get the 1200 recommendation if you choose the 2lb a week loss I think. I couldn't survive on 1200 calories a day, no way.

I sometimes log just to see what I end up with for the day, calorie wise, I tend to be on track most times. I'm a HUGE supporter of weight lifting/training. People don't really need to kill themselves with tons of cardio, which IMO that is what a lot of 'dieters' do. They think they need to go burn off tons a calories a day, they don't, IMO. Find a healthy level of calories that will allow a weight loss and pick a small deficit. Slow and steady wins the race.

Most everyone I know who went on a 'diet' and looked for quick results, it ended a couple ways.

They either lost a lot of weight quickly, but just as QUICKLY re-gained in and then some.

Lost a large amount of muscle mass and looked saggy with extra skin.

*edit, don't worry about the scale so much. Go by how your clothes fit or measure yourself once a month or so. You'll be surprised that if you focus on body re-composition you can lose a minimal amount of weight but be smaller.

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

Luv2Smile — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 20:30:27 GMT

You are experiencing what Chris Powell calls "calorie confusion." It's great to watch calories but your body becomes smart and you don't lose as easily. If you eat the same number of calories every day, try throwing in a higher calorie day at least once a week. Keeps the body guessing.

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

Yardlie — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 20:46:56 GMT

Gazelle and Cranberries ~~ Yes, you're both right about muscle-strengthening exercises. I've been doing cardio, and that isn't doing it for me.

Luv2Smile ~~ I'll check into "calorie confusion." Heck...I'm just plain confused about weight loss! LOL!

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

Lotus — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 21:05:10 GMT

I don't believe for a minute that WW doesn't work for some people. If you follow the program and attend meetings regularly there is no way you can not lose weight and/or keep it off.

I have not missed one meeting since Jan 9, 2013 and have dropped 73 lbs....still not at my goal but I WILL get there.

I suggest trying it again....if you are not happy with your group leader find another meeting until you find the "right fit".

I have weeks where I lose more than I thought I would, and I have weeks where I might gain a little (when I thought I should have lost). It's a daily journey.

I also believe a true weight gain/loss takes about 2 weeks to show on a scale.

Some form of exercise is important too.

Good luck with whatever works for you and don't give up hope.

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

depglass — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 22:18:59 GMT

Way to go, Lotus!

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

Yardlie — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 23:11:45 GMT

On 2/26/2014 Lotus~ said:
I don't believe for a minute that WW doesn't work for some people. If you follow the program and attend meetings regularly there is no way you can not lose weight and/or keep it off.

I have not missed one meeting since Jan 9, 2013 and have dropped 73 lbs....still not at my goal but I WILL get there.

I suggest trying it again....if you are not happy with your group leader find another meeting until you find the "right fit".

I have weeks where I lose more than I thought I would, and I have weeks where I might gain a little (when I thought I should have lost). It's a daily journey.

I also believe a true weight gain/loss takes about 2 weeks to show on a scale.

Some form of exercise is important too.

Good luck with whatever works for you and don't give up hope.

I don't know about that. Everywhere you look around the internet, you find people complaining about the new Points Plus Weight Watchers. Everyone says that it doesn't work like some of the old plans did. I couldn't lose weight on Weight Watchers, and I didn't cheat. I've tried Weight Watchers three different times in the past few years. It doesn't work for me.

I just don't buy into this eating as much fruit as you want and not gaining weight. Fruit contains a lot of sugar. Excess sugar is stored as fat. I believe in the principle of the glycemic index, and Weight Watchers isn't into that at all.

As far as finding a new leader goes, can't do it in a small town. She controls all the small towns around me too. One meeting a week per town.

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

Lotus — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 23:32:30 GMT

Hi Brink.....I probably should have been more specific.....I modify my WW Points Plus. I don't eat as much fruit as I want, but I basically have been doing the Simple Start since before it started. I'm very conscious of points, but I use them more of a guide than a rule.

I stay away from all white carbs and limit my daily fruit....and if I feel like eating 3 pieces of chicken, I do.

I find that going to the meetings inspires me to stay on track and have decided that it will continue to be a lifelong challenge for me. I never had a problem with my weight until about 17 years ago, (I'll be 61 soon) and I truly believe that if I want to continue to lose and then maintain, I will not be able to give up my meetings. I have a great group leader and a wonderful bunch of members at my meeting.

So perhaps you're right.....maybe WW doesn't work for everyone, but I think it's a pretty good outline to follow.

I'm a firm believer in "if it's working for you, then keep it up".

depglass....thanks very much. :-)

PS....Brink....I've spoken to members who are still using the old point system.....have you tried that? There are various online sites that you can find out the information.

I also have a few sites bookmarked that have some good ideas and recipes if you are interested.

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

sassy68 — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 23:33:33 GMT

I am a post menopausal, hypothyroid, 5'2" woman and I have eaten 1200 calories a day for the past 3 yrs. It allows me to maintain my weight. Losing weight is hard for me and if I eat more calories than 1200 consistently, I will gain weight. It may sound like a little bit to other people but I gain weight easily so this works for me.

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

qualitygal — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 23:34:16 GMT

Totally, totally, understand and hear what you're saying. That's why I am continuing to read different ideas and ways to beat the monster. They all say fruit and veg's first. The body is readjusting all the time as to what we eat and burn whether we count it or not.

I've decided this is my life-hobby, since I have no answer. Got to WW goal before and I'm back at it, and the closer to goal, the harder.

I'm so amazed at the beautiful women who have a handle on the answer for their bodies. I continue to try, like I said, it's gonna be a life time job with me, I can see it now. I know I don't need much food, but no one told my stomach to not be hungry. It's a long battle. If you figure it out, fill us in.

Re: Weight Loss Discussion

sidsmom — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 00:04:30 GMT

qualitygal: You are so correct about the different way all are saying "fruit & veg's first"! Even the hardcore Paleo or hardcore Vegan...fruit & vegetables are foundation of any healthy, sustainable way of eating. It makes me so, so, so sad when I see people limit fruits....they are Nature's treat for us....sweet, juicy, beautiful, hydrating, chock full of vitamins/minerals...why deny that pleasure? "Extra sugar" doesn't turn to fat...extra calories do. Extra sweetness will afford you the energy to move more. Rare that an athlete will fuel their workouts w/ meat only. Fruits & vegetables are the foundation. They are King.