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Hang in there! Post when you need to vent or get encouragement- every surgery or medical disaster I have had seemed like the recovery took forever............but then years later........I'm bacccckkkkkk (: and you will be too (:Quote:
Originally Posted by channlluv
134.6 yesterday. really weird...I guess my maintenance range is out the window. it's weird in that after years of working so hard to lose weight, it's happening on its own without me actually trying. I did make some tweaks to how I'm eating but with health and budget as my motivation. Maybe I just don't really know what my "ideal" weight is. I'm open to my body telling me...
Danielle, you are 5'11 right? While we all carry our weight differently, 134 sounds pretty low for that height. I know you have lost a lot of weight and are very mindful of what and how you eat. Do you think there's a chance you are just not eating enough? Are you losing muscle mass at this point?
131. Six more to go!!!!!
Indysteel, technically I'm not quite 5'11" (I'm 5'10 2/3" so usually round up). My BMI is still in the normal range, but low normal. I'm looking pretty darn lean but not skeletal. Though I don't want to lose another 5 or so pounds or I might just be there.
It's a hard call on the muscle mass thing as this is my busy time of year with my business (I make toys) so I haven't been my usual active self the past 3 weeks.
I had been maintaining at around 145 for months (that's what I am in my avatar pic). Then in October I phased out animal products and salt from my diet. I do get plenty of protein though (I tracked it the first 6 weeks) so no worries there. Legumes really fill me up though, moreso than meat does. I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that it really is ok to be a little snacky with things like nuts, bananas, avocados in the context of the way I'm eating now. I probably do need a few more calories per day even though I eat a ton of food. There's no way I could possibly eat more food but I could make an effort to eat more calorically dense food.
My veggie addiction wasn't a problem with the animal products but legumes aren't fatty like the animal protein they're replacing (thinking out loud here). I'm thinking that's the issue. More nuts. I can do that. :) It would be nice if things just leveled out on their own though.
I'm not concerned...yet. But I am feeling the need to be cautious and monitor things.
I am glad to know that you're keeping an eye on it. From my own experience the weight that I think is my ideal (118 or so) is just a few pounds off from where I feel really puny (at 115) v and just "off." I look thin at that weight but not emaciated. It is more a question of feeling less energetic and strong. Of course, I am at 126 :( at the moment so this is all just theoretical! Just keep an eye on both the scale and your energy level. You have come so far (and you have my utmost respect) I would hate to see you get so low that you have the opposite problem.
Cutting out salt could account for a couple of pounds, since you might have less water weight.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dannielle
True. If nothing else, check your thyroid and blood sugar.Quote:
Originally Posted by Muirenn
Unfortunately, your body may never tell you with any accuracy at all and you may have to, as you say, "be cautious and monitor things" indefinitely. The plan to add some nuts seems to make sense to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dannielle
Ah, that could be it, too. I go in for a thyroid check this week. My meds could be off. My Dr keeps my tsh a little extra low intentionally and I could have slipped into the hyperthyroid zone.Quote:
Originally Posted by indysteel
I hadn't considered that (though....duh!). That's probably what's going on. My tsh was 0.3 last June and I was a little more than 20lbs heavier then.
I will suspend my worry until after my appt Thursday. :)
(I DO eat nuts/seeds every day...I just meant I may need to eat *more*. I tend to be a little cautious still and measure my nut portions. Though I've stopped measuring everything else)
Out of curiosity, how did you and your doc arrive at TSH number that you feel is good for you and/or why do you keep it on the lowest end of normal? I was diagnosed with a very mild case of Graves over the summer and have been on a low dose of anti-thyroid meds since late August. I then put on five rather stubborn pounds that may or may have nothing to do with it. When I first started the meds, my TSH shot up to 3. We halved my dose. I get bloodwork done in a couple of weeks. My endo said something about wanting to get me closer to 1 TSH. I have to wonder whether my dose is still a tad high. I hate having to rely on a drug for my metabolism. Before this, I never struggled to keep my weight within my ideal range.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dannielle
I was 117.8 this week. I've been disciplined enough to maintain 5 lbs above my goal for about 4 months, but not disciplined enough to quite get back into losing mode.
When I was being treated for hypothyroidism alone (nothing else factored in) my endo kept my tsh around 1-2. These days my endo keeps my tsh a little extra suppressed as I've been treated for stage 3 thyroid cancer. I no longer have a thyroid gland so there's no point to the pituitary gland sending out messages to produce thyroid hormones. All that would do in my case is aggravate an autoimmune response (I still test positive for anti-thyroid antibodies) and create a pro-cancer environment.Quote:
Originally Posted by indysteel
I totally understand your struggle. Before now I never DIDN'T struggle with my weight. I'm really grateful for the brainstorming because I'm now pretty sure that I must be in the hyperthyroid zone. Hopefully a little tweak of the meds will set everything straight (my Raynaud's is going nuts right now too so maybe that'll calm down too)
I'm not all that familiar with Graves (all my issues have been on the other end of the spectrum) but I can tell ya I don't feel good with a tsh of 3.
Wow, Danielle. It sounds like you have been through a lot. I am hopeful that my doc and I will figure it out with some trial and error. What's strange is that I learned over the summer that in previous years, my TSH had been closer to hypo. No one ever said anything to me about my numbers at that point. During that time, I was riding 5k miles a year, doing yoga for 3-5 hours a week, eating like a horse and struggling to keep weight on. I generally felt good. So I have no idea what a good normal us for me or what I should aim to feel like.
Weight is up this week and I have zero idea why. My exercise and diet have been 100% spot on, so I'm not going to stress out about it.
145.6 :eek:
169.4 this week. Not moving fast, but still down. That, this time of year, is a big plus!
Heh, next week's weigh-in is going to be interesting. Our trip to the Pacific Northwest has been absolutely grand, and I'm sure the scale will reflect that grandness. :p Eh, I'll just pick up where I left off when I get home.
But boy oh boy, that big ol' piece of Raleighdon pie served up by the man himself today was soooo worth it! :cool:
thank you! now I'm really not all that worried. yes, I had to add an inch but that also means I'd be weighing fully dressed, with shoes (vs fresh out of bed, naked, after the potty). I remembered to weigh myself today when fully dressed and I was 142.4 (was 135 nakie this morning).Quote:
Originally Posted by Muirenn
We weigh very close to the same thing (both neekid and otherwise) and I find this difference SO frustrating...so I need to stop weighing myself clothed :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by Dannielle
I never weigh myself with clothes on--except at the doctor's office. Always nekkid in the morning.
Me either! It was a total lightbulb moment to realize that "wearing 1" heels" must mean fully dressed. Good to know when I'm looking at charts. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by indysteel
Good point, because I thought the chart numbers looked high for my height and bone structure. I still think, even in clothes, I'd be too chunky at the high end of the range they specify, but the low end is right where I am (in clothes and shoes) and is certainly a healthy weight for me, albeit a few lbs. higher than I really feel that I look best.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dannielle
If memory serves, the chart adds 3 pounds for clothes and shoes.
I never weigh myself with clothes on, either. At the doc's I manage to get my shoes off! It's always 2 lbs. higher. When I went to my endocrinologist a couple of weeks ago, for my osteo. check before my medication, her comment was, "your weight is extremely consistent." That was really meaningful, as I have been going there for 4 years.
I went to and used the weight calculator from the other thread. I am at the low end of recommended weight by medical people (about 3 lbs. over the low #) and about 5 lbs. lower than the "ideal" weight that regular people thought someone of my height should have. I gave myself the extra inch, too.
My BMI was at the low end of the normal range, where it's always been, but I just have to wonder about this. I still have some nice fat on my hips. Nothing that clothing doesn't hide, but while I look thin, I am not skinny. My goal is to get muscular, which is happening on the upper body, since I started taking the strength classes, but I never see change on my lower half, despite the zillions of squats and lunges, etc. Just my cycling thighs getting bigger!
At my doctor's visit last week, they weighed me while I was wearing knee high leather boots. Argh!!!! Even though I try to account for stuff like that when I see the number on the scale, it still freaks me out.
Late reporting, I didn't weigh until yesterday at 142.
I hate charts! They never make me look good. :D My last weigh in and measuring with my trainer has me at 144 pounds, and 15.9% body fat. I'm only 5'5" and if I only thought about the charts or BMI, I'd be seriously depressed at this weight.
Veronica
I don't want to set off any triggers, but has anyone ever successfully lost 15 lbs in one month?
I ask because I am exercising, losing weight (albeit very slowly), and eating well, but I found this fantastic sexy dress for a post-holidays party (next month) that I think will look stunning if I can just lose 15 lbs.
So far I'm running about 3 miles 4x/week, drinking lots of water, no sweets, lite carbs, and heavy on vegs/fruits. Anyone have any insight to share?
If you are morbidly obese, then you could conceivably lose 15 pounds in a month. But last I knew, you are not morbidly obese. I can't say, then, that losing 15 pounds in a month is all that likely or healthy. You are talking about serious calorie deprivation--which sounds like a recipe to put that weight (and more) on again pretty quickly. Of course, YMMV.Quote:
Originally Posted by VeganBikeChick
That, and I don't recommend dieting simply to fit into some dress. That just doesn't sound like the path to sustainable change.
+ 1Quote:
Originally Posted by indysteel
How would it look if you lost 8 lbs? A two-lb. per week weight loss is as much as is recommended as "healthy" and possibly sustainable. Otherwise, I think you're just setting yourself up for failure -- either to meet the 15-lb. goal or to keep it off. Slow weight loss is much more sustainable.
Crash dieting is not healthy at all because when you lower your caloric intake enough, your body slows its metabolism to preserve your weight. Then when you start eating a bit more, you gain faster than you would have. This yo-yo effect can really wreak havoc on your body long-term, and you can end up heavier than you started and unable to lose weight despite doing everything "right".
So, DH and I were on a 10-day road trip up to the Pacific Northwest, with stops in Bend, Port Townsend, Victoria BC, Seattle, and Ashland. We visited with SadieKate, Salsabike, and Biciclista (and their lovely DHs). We would have also visited with GLC1968 but time caught up with us (some other time I hope, Catherine!).
I figured I was on vacation and I wasn't going to deprive myself, and if I gained a few pounds so be it, I'd just get right back on track when we got home.
Well, I had my first post-trip WW weigh-in this morning.
153.8
That's the exact same weight I was two weeks ago. Woo-hoo, I didn't gain a bit!!!
While I most certainly did not deprive myself (SK, Salsa and Mimi can attest to that ;)), I didn't snack a lot, and when I did it was most often on fruit. We had bananas & grapes in the car and in our hotel rooms.
Also, if something wasn't fabulous, I didn't eat it. One morning when we were having breakfast and the hash browns (yeah yeah, I could have ordered fruit instead, but I was on vacation dammit) were not all that great; I had a bite or two and just left them alone.
Even if something was really good, I didn't feel the need to finish it. We had fish & chips at a nifty little place in Sidney BC, and my meal came with a BIG pile of fries. I made a dent in them, but left a lot on the plate. That's so unlike me, I'm a charter member of the clean plate club ("I paid for this and I shouldn't let it go to waste!" and "children are starving!!" being my mottos).
And if something was fabulous (and much of what I ate was!) I savored every little bit. I'm a fairly slow eater to begin with but I broke slow-eating records. Lee didn't mind because more often than not I'd put some of my food on his plate. :D
I'm really happy with how this worked out.
Yay, JoBob!
I'm holding steady, which is good. My primary goal is to not gain over the winter. Secondary is losing a few of the pounds I've put on since about June of 2011. I think during the next phase of this thread I will actually state a goal. Hopefully that will force me to take some responsibility!
I'm heavier than I have been in a while (I'm in the upper end of the weight range on the met tables) and I am sure my BF is up since I have lost quite a bit of muscle the last couple of years AND my weight has increased lately. I get most concerned with carrying around any extra weight, no matter what it is, because it affects my running. Too in tune to my body, I guess. 5 lbs makes a huge difference for me. That said, I need to lose about...5 lbs to get back into a more comfortable running weight. A few more than that by event time in the summer would be nice.
I've done pretty well avoiding most of the treats at work. Not 100% angel but not bad. The big victory was avoiding the homemade carmel corn. That was a tough one. :rolleyes:
I weighed 142.8 this morning. I was 140.8 two days ago, so I know there's water weight involved. But I won't be near a scale again until 2012 -- my vacation started today.
The weather forecast for the next week or so looks good for getting outside for exercise, and so hopefully I will be able to counteract some of the desserts that are coming my way...
136.0 this morning. Considering my succumbing to treats this last week, I am quite happy that my weight hasn't increased.
198.2 today...not too happy :( .Not sure if I am going to meet my goal. I just have 8 days to lose 3.2#s. But on the other hand I have notice a huge difference in size. I am losing inches Way more quickly than #s.
135.0
Things seems to have stabilized, which is good. :) Went to the Dr yesterday and my thyroid levels are fine, meds don't need adjusting. He wasn't at all concerned with the bit of sudden weight loss. He said that it's not unheard of when people remove animal products from their diet and that it's only a problem if a new normal doesn't establish itself. He pretty much told me to relax and stop worrying...he reminded me where I started and how dangerously unhealthy I was and pointed out that worrying about where exactly my weight stabilized is just silly since I'm not restricting calories or eating nutrient-poor foods.
Good news, Dannielle!
Today I had trouble getting the scale to work right and find a flat spot on the motorhome floor in my early morning daze. So, I had three readings and I am not sure that I am going to believe the lowest. I'll take the middle at 110.4.
Great job Jobob! Whoop Hoo!:D
I was 155.4 today... Kinda stuck but there have been a lot of treats in the office so at least I'm somewhat steady!
Cheers everyone! Have a fabulous holiday!! :D
Kinda stuck?!? You're past your goal and you've lost almost 10 lbs this challenge, quite a feat during the holidays. Good job!Quote:
Originally Posted by tprevost